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An Analogy In light of recent events in North Carolina
Soolip Advanced CA USA Member since 6/18/08 Posts: 1995	Login to reply to this post 14 members like this. Date: 5/9/12 1:04 PM Television is far more pervasive in our society than marriage — more people actually watch television than are married. It could be persuasively argued that television influences our culture and shapes individual thinking more than traditional heterosexual marriage does. Yet, I have personally never been comfortable with television. I don’t even own one. Watching television is a non-traditional activity. Our founding fathers were not thinking of television when they penned the Constitution. While freedom of the press is an essential cornerstone of our fine Democracy, our free society, I am outraged that “press” was redefined to include what is broadcast on this new media. Sometimes, when I am among friends and they are loudly discussing “Dancing with the Stars” or something they saw on FOX News which they erroneously believe to be true, I feel they are shoving their evil television-watching ways down my throat. What people do in their own living rooms should be private. Not having a television is a personal choice (though some may argue it has a biological basis). For this reason, I could never consider it my moral duty to vote for laws that deny people the right to watch it. Or, even more ludicrously, vote for laws that separated television watchers from book readers, giving them slightly different sets of rights and tax benefits. Even though what people may be watching could actually have an influence on my own life and personal freedoms — like when folks make decisions at the polls based on what they were told on TV. So, although some people may not personally be comfortable with gays getting married, I would like to know exactly how allowing gays equal status and rights would negatively impact our nation or the lives of individuals. Canada legalized gay marriage in 2005 with no discernible negative consequences. Just a thought.
quiltingwolf Advanced MD USA Member since 12/15/02 Posts: 5003	Login to reply to this post In reply to Soolip << 8 members like this. Date: 5/9/12 2:02 PM I think it's awful. People should be allow to marry who they want regardless of sex. We need more love in this world not less. It surprises me how still there are so many people that are so homophobic. And so many people who are so misinformed with all the information out there these days. There was a picture going around FB recently Showing two pictures side by side, left two men kissing, right starving children in Africa. It said if you felt more shocked about the left picture you need a moral adjustment I agree. ------ quiltingwolf.blogspot.com
HanPanda Advanced Beginner DC USA Member since 4/27/08 Posts: 186	Login to reply to this post 15 members like this. Date: 5/9/12 2:57 PM My favorite picture on the topic is a pie chart. Let me see if I can find it. It sums things up pretty well for me. Don't like same sex marriage? Don't get married to someone of the same sex. The thing that people don't notice is that this amendment also took away the rights of every person in NC who was a part of a domestic partnership that afforded them even SOME of the legal rights of a marriage. I don't get why people want to take away others' legal rights. It's just...not right. -- Edited on 5/9/12 2:59 PM -- ------ Call me Han. I'll try anything once :)
tlmck3 Advanced Beginner IL USA Member since 7/11/05 Posts: 3613	Login to reply to this post 2 members like this. Date: 5/9/12 3:31 PM It seems the NC vote yesterday finally helped "evolve" President Obama into saying he supports marriage equality. Chicago Tribune article It's about time. ------ I am going for a level of perfection that is only mine... Most of the pleasure is in getting that last little piece perfect...Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just keep showing up and doing the work. Chuck Close, painter, printmaker, photographer Hope has two lovely daughters: Anger and Courage St. Augustine
Kemish   Intermediate CA USA Member since 4/24/06 Posts: 231	Login to reply to this post 8 members like this. Date: 5/9/12 4:39 PM I, too, don't see what the big deal is about gay marriage and particularly why it is not legal in this country. One of the arguments against gay marriage is that it will destroy the union of marriage- I guess, I must be really be stupid because I thought divorce destroyed marriages. ------ Kemish
quiltingwolf Advanced MD USA Member since 12/15/02 Posts: 5003	Login to reply to this post 1 member likes this. Date: 5/9/12 4:51 PM I keep reading that straight marriages are declining. People are just choosing to live together. As far as it being legal the people themselves could decide how their assets will be divided, first of kin for medical stuff etc. Sorta of alike a pre-joing prenup for legal matters. Government needs to get out of the marriage game. ------ quiltingwolf.blogspot.com
Canadian Jane Advanced Beginner AB CANADA Member since 10/30/10 Posts: 1155	Login to reply to this post 9 members like this. Date: 5/9/12 5:14 PM I am very, very proud that my Country adopted these laws. I had a foster brother that died of Aids and a childhood friend also died of Aids. I learned later that my FBro died alone without any family around and deeply ashamed of the "shame" he had brought to his family. That breaks my heart that he would think I would love him any less or be ashamed of him. So many people think that somehow people with Aids "deserve" it. There are very few people on earth who deserve Aids. I, like many others, may not understand how one can love someone of the same sex because that would not feel right for me. But still, I can't figure out why people would think that there is something wrong with loving another adult human being with all your heart and soul. I would much rather live next door to a kind, loving, committed gay couple than a hetro couple who drink and abuse each other and have no respect for anything or anyone. You love who you love - it is just that simple. Real, genuine love is a very good thing.
Lady_Mame Intermediate WA USA Member since 3/11/07 Posts: 2074	Login to reply to this post 6 members like this. Date: 5/9/12 5:29 PM Soolip, unfortunately the United States has had, for many years, what I think a lot of people would consider a sharp uptick of fundamental religion in politics despite a legal separation of church and state. The last few elections have focused bizarrely on the church-going habits of the candidates. We even had a campaign commercial running around in which we were told that a candidate "was not a witch." I don't know if other people feel as I do -- but to me it's very surreal. As you know, many branches of Christianity officially or unofficially condemn the LGBTQA community. (And to be fair, several churches have flung open the doors to those people, telling them that they are still a child of the god they loved in their childhood, bless them.) Particularly noisy are the fundamental branches that have gotten a hold of several cliques within what is left of our conservative party. As you also know, the squeaky wheel gets the media attention and the political pandering. It's crippling us, and we're stealing people's rights across the board in the attempt to pander. I fully expect that if there is no sane backlash against all this hate, racism and bigotry trussed up as "religion*" that we will start having problems again like we did in the early 90s (gay bashing, hate crimes, etc.) (I put "religion" in parenthesis here because I've never met a Christian that seemed all that happy with these people that use their religion to spread so much ill will.) ------ Needle Needle Straight and Slim, Dust and Sweep the House for Him! --Grimm Fairy Tales
RMJ   Intermediate CA USA Member since 12/14/06 Posts: 422	Login to reply to this post In reply to Soolip << 1 member likes this. Date: 5/9/12 7:10 PM Well said, Soolip. Great analogy.
maryl Intermediate MA USA Member since 6/24/05 Posts: 505	Login to reply to this post 2 members like this. Date: 5/9/12 10:25 PM Yes. Great analogy. I went to a funeral in a Catholic Church of a gay friend who had been with a partner for many years. His partner was devastated, sat frozen through that whole long Mass where the priest talked about the man's parents and nephews and brothers and the loss they had--but never mentioned his partner. It's really stayed with me--the emotional impact of treating a great love as if it's something dirty, something to be hidden.

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