My sexual orientation and my positions on gay rights

[serious crayons]

treasure the moment, I'll meet you over in Jess's virtual "cooling off" bar she has set up. I think she mixed up a pitcher of martinis just for me.

I've been there a couple of times already. A martini sounds great. Gin or vodka?

[David In Indy]

A good friend of mine posted this over at a different forum. I thought it was very powerful and well written so I'd like share it with the rest of you....


The Ballot issue in California in November is Proposition 8 and they have been running the most elegant creative and astute commericial all summer.  It actually features a straight couple, it opens showing a beautiful young bride preparing for her wedding, perfect hair, perfect makeup, flowers, long white gown...she is the picture of loveliness.  Then she takes her fathers arm and moves to exit the house to meet her groom.  In the garden the guests are gathered, the groom and Best Man wait under the gazebo.  But with every step our bride takes she meets some misfortune, her veil is snagged on a tree, someone trips her and tears her gown and as she falls to the ground her beloved groom is prevented by the best man from going to her to offer his assistance, his support and his love.  Then we get the voice over "What if someone wanted to prevent you from marrying the person you love?  Vote No on Prop 8   Equal Rights for all Americans"  It really is a canny bit of political advertising. 

Reminds me of the summation in John Grisham's  novel & film "A Time To Kill" about a black man being tried for killing the two white men who raped and attempted to murder his 12 year old daughter.  In Grisham's work the defense attorney faces the seemly insurmountable job of getting a black man a fair trial in the south  and as he sums up the defense of his client for the all white jury.  He tells the jury to close their eyes and picture her as he chronicles the heinous things the little girl suffered at the hands of these brutal men and as he gets to the end of his horrible recitation he asks them "can you see her?, can you SEE her? Now imagine she's white"

Powerful stuff    Gay Marriage is a civil rights issue.  Too many right wing fundamentalists want to forget that we have separation of Church and State in this country. The issue is not about Marriage as sanctioned by any Church.  Civil Marriage is a right in this country and it is a right that should be extended to all Americans equally.

You can't legislate equality or morality but you can legislate civil rights and the times they are a changin and I don't know what will happen in November but you can't unring the bell and Gay Marriage is coming like or it or not.

[pnwDUDE]

I think it all boils down to this:

Would you support repealing DOM?
I, for one, would.

Would you vote for an amendment to your state constitution that would allow same sex marriages and equal rights for same-sex married couples as hetro couples.
I, for one, would.

Would you support an act by Congress similar to DOM that would, instead, guarantee equal rights for same sex married partners as hetro married partners.
I, for one, would.

I believe one needs to get those here who appear to not agree with same-sex marriage to answer 'no' to one of the above questions. Only at that point would he or she be against 'gay' marriage. Just because he or she may see it from another angle, I don't think it is necessarily homophobia. I believe homophobia is tossed around too loosely in the context of this discussion. Very similar to how 'racist' is tossed around in other discussions.

My point is this. If I can't be called 'married' because those who make law and/or the majority in this country don't want me and Steve to be called 'married' similar to our friends Cory and Brianna, who are married, just give me equal rights. I agree with Brokeplex, that in the very near future all this discussion will be a moot point, but until then, I would sit by just fine being treated equal under the law.

Brad

[MountainMan]

I'm a straight male.

I'm for lgbt rights because I believe in equality. I support same-sex marriage because I believe in love.

[Jeff Wrangler]

There's clearly something very threatening about the word "marriage" (the word in and of itself) being extended to gay people from the traditionalist perspective, as we've seen articulated throughout this thread.

That's it, Amanda. Gay marriage is a threat to heterosexist privilege and dominance.

[serious crayons]

I think the idea that the "tradition" of marriage has to be preserved as it has previously been defined is kind of a euphemistic smoke screen. Heterosexists (good term!) don't want to acknowledge gay couples as legitimate, period, because that would be tantamount to approving of homosexuality, which they don't.

[Ellemeno]

I think the idea that the "tradition" of marriage has to be preserved as it has previously been defined is kind of a euphemistic smoke screen. Heterosexists (good term!) don't want to acknowledge gay couples as legitimate, period, because that would be tantamount to approving of homosexuality, which they don't.

I remember someone here last year or so saying something like disapproving of homosexuality is like disapproving of sunset or rain.  It's a fact of nature, and humans approving of it or not is pretty moot.  Of course, moot unfortunately does not necessarily mean undangerous. 

[Clyde-B]

I think the idea that the "tradition" of marriage has to be preserved as it has previously been defined is kind of a euphemistic smoke screen. Heterosexists (good term!) don't want to acknowledge gay couples as legitimate, period, because that would be tantamount to approving of homosexuality, which they don't.

Most traditions in this country are inclusive and encourage expansion.  Can you imagine someone from overseas visiting the US in November and being told, "I'm sorry Thanksgiving is an American holiday, you're not American you can't participate."

Marriage is not being described as a tradition; it's being described as a closed club interested in excluding certain individuals from membership.

[HerrKaiser]

I think it all boils down to this:

Would you support repealing DOM?
I, for one, would.

Would you vote for an amendment to your state constitution that would allow same sex marriages and equal rights for same-sex married couples as hetro couples.
I, for one, would.

Would you support an act by Congress similar to DOM that would, instead, guarantee equal rights for same sex married partners as hetro married partners.
I, for one, would.

I believe one needs to get those here who appear to not agree with same-sex marriage to answer 'no' to one of the above questions. Only at that point would he or she be against 'gay' marriage. Just because he or she may see it from another angle, I don't think it is necessarily homophobia. I believe homophobia is tossed around too loosely in the context of this discussion. Very similar to how 'racist' is tossed around in other discussions.

My point is this. If I can't be called 'married' because those who make law and/or the majority in this country don't want me and Steve to be called 'married' similar to our friends Cory and Brianna, who are married, just give me equal rights. I agree with Brokeplex, that in the very near future all this discussion will be a moot point, but until then, I would sit by just fine being treated equal under the law.

Brad

thanks brad for the clarity. I endorse your three points; so does Bush, so does McCain, as does obama...and based on polls, a majority of americans as well. And, these three, myself and the same majority of americans agree with you that the three points achieves the goal, without the label of marriage.

I don't know if 'marriage' will ever be a moot point, but it seems to me that your position is the most sensible and reasonable for the current timeframe.

[serious crayons]

I remember someone here last year or so saying something like disapproving of homosexuality is like disapproving of sunset or rain.  It's a fact of nature, and humans approving of it or not is pretty moot.  Of course, moot unfortunately does not necessarily mean undangerous. 

Well, I strongly disapprove of cold weather, but that hasn't seemed to have much effect on the Minnesota climate. 

My favorite is the IMDb trolls who say they "don't agree with homosexuality." What's to agree or disagree with? And who asked you, anyway?