STR CONTEST Round 3 DEBATE - Page 3

Since Miracle Midgets have concluded their argument, I will also conclude.
Our view remains unchanged from the outset of the debate. Miracle Midgets have not given any convincing proof of the legalization of gay marriages infringing upon freedom of expression. Of course, people insulting or using derogatory language for the people of another community in public will be pulled up by the state for irresponsible and insensitive behaviour. Like I said, being a citizen of a democratic nation, your duties go hand in hand with your rights, and you are expected to act with maturity, discretion and sensitivity in public.
The article you mentioned refers to a person employed in a private media firm losing his job due to his publicly expressed controversial views regarding gay marriage. Private companies are entitled to make their own choices and you cannot accuse them of infringing on your freedom of speech. Your freedom of speech is infringed upon by the state only when a recognized court of law orders you to pay a fine, serve a prison term or other punishment for holding your views. The person who was fired from his company was fired due to a conflict of opinion between employer and employee. We cannot link this with the state.
If any comments of yours are directly aimed to incite violence against gay couples, you can definitely be taken to a court of law, and are answerable for any violence or disorderly behaviour which was a result of your hate speech. Remember, a citizen of a democratic nation has the right to free speech and not hate speech!
If every person were to respect choices of others and express their opinions in such a way that their point is put across without offending or causing harm to people of other communities, and people exercised their freedom of speech with due consideration for the sentiments of others, the world would be a much happier and better place to live in!

Thank you,
Team Trendy Thunders

On behalf of all 3 coordinators, I would like to thank both participants and their teams for their collective effort to make this debate a success.

We feel so proud today to have witnessed a debate of such high quality. Both teams have spoken with much clarity and conviction! Thank you!

As a third party viewer of this debate, I would like to state that I thoroughly enjoyed it. We shall however give our judgement after a more meticulous reading of this thread!