ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a brief overview of the legislative history of the battle for same-sex marriage in Australia. This history will document the centralization of romantic love in the struggle. It chapter focuses on to an overview and general discussion of the feminist positions in relation to romantic love. The chapter shows that while romantic love is regarded as a problem for many feminists many also welcome the radical nature of romantic love and are therefore not willing to remove it altogether from the modern imagination and way of life. In determining the significance and impact of romantic love on the same-sex marriage debate the chapter critically examines the feminist critique of romantic love. Romantic love, from the very beginning, was considered a dangerous idea. Its connection with liberty and freedom, its disconnection from family, class, social and religious duty, make it an obvious target of criticism.
