By: Barry Soper | Friday, July 27, 2012 6:00 AM

It could be seen as the revenge of the straights, although for those of us who're happily married it would of course never be seen in that way.

It's same sex marriage and it's something the grizzlies in Parliament's bear pit will have to turn their minds to shortly.

Labour's Louisa Wall's Bill's been drawn out of the Parliamentary ballot. She's gay and is in a civil union and says she wouldn't trade that for full-blown marriage but she reckons others should have a choice. That's unlike the woman who used to lead her Party, Dead Girl Helen who once said she wished civil unions were around when she got hitched to pistol Pete.

In fact civil unions are simply marriages by another name. The ceremony's the same and the spoils of a split are divvied up in the same way. The only difference is that the female honorific for a couple getting hitched could change to Mrs and Mrs.

The Greens are Morris Dancing with delight, Labour's leaping for joy, Peter Dunne's delighted and even Hone Harawira's happy at the prospect.

The Tories though are treading carefully even though State Homie John Key's indicated he'll swing in behind the move on marriage.

The Dipton Drawler Bill English said he'd want to see the Bill first but given his conservative moral stance in the past he'll give it the flick. Tony Ryall was lemon lipped saying he too wanted to know a bit more which was the stance also taken by his gay Cabinet cobber Chris Finlayson who says he hasn't given it a moment's thought, he's too busy resolving Treaty grievances he sniffed.

But they'll be able to exercise their consciences rather than voting along Party lines when it comes to the crunch.

In recent years they've legalised prostitution and have brought in civil unions so the time may well have come for same sex marriage. And to think homosexuality was illegal just 26 years ago!

Photo: stock.xchng