Last Tuesday there were some minor elections in the US – I think that the three main battles don’t really give any indication on the Obama Presidency. I’m not an Obama fan so I wish I could take some more from the results but this isn’t Fox News – although I love Fox News expecially Meghan Kelly…. she is a smarter/prettier version of Bill O’Reily (I should email him that and see if he sends me a signed copy of “Bold Fresh” – hahaha).
One of the other things that was voted on was in the state of Maine to repeal a decision that gay marriage is legal. The result was that the decision was repealed. This happened in California in the 2008 election as well.
I did some reading and gay marriage has been put to a vote 31 times and all 31 times it was voted down…..
I’m personally for gay marriage – I don’t think me, or anyone else, has the right to tell anyone they can’t get married.
I once heard a lesbian artist from New Zealand speaking about gay marriage and I can’t quote her verbatim but she said “Marriage is what str8 people do – I’m a lesbian, I don’t want to get married.” It put a different slant on things and I thought her view was a breath of fresh air.
Perhaps some people aren’t ready to allow gay people to get married and that has been shown 31 times now. Instead of pushing ‘marriage’ down peoples throat I would prefer to see a concentrated effort of making sure that gay couple have the same ‘legal rights’ that str8 couples have.
I knew exactly what I wanted to say in this post and it has ended up a rambling shambles. I don’t post many political posts here but it is fun every, now and then.
8 Comments
Dr. Phil
As a resident of Washington, where we did have Referendum 71 (to allow domestic partnerships, which is pretty much every right of marriage apart from the name) and it was successful, I think that “separate but equal” isn’t necessarily a bad thing, when it truly is equal, as is the case here now. People are so touchy about the word “marriage,” and for no good reason at all (European history, Christian theology, etc. is stacked against it being anything particularly good or positive…both Jesus and Paul weren’t big fans of it, etc.); and there is a lot of evidence that same-sex marriage took place in many locations in the premodern periods as well (i.e. into the 17th and 18th centuries in some places)…But of course, this is lost on most people.
If bigoted conservatives are so possessive of their word, then let them have it, and let the rights be given under a different term.
“Marriage” should be for religious bodies to decide, and many of them do in fact endorse, allow, and embrace same-sex marriages. I’d think that it then becomes a first amendment issue in the U.S., but apparently not, as attempting to battle it on those grounds has failed repeatedly. (Which just shows how duplicitous the system is…if “majority” religion is being threatened, then it’s no contest, but if it’s a minority religion or minority religious viewpoint, one’s chances are slim to none.)
Well, anyway, the photo of those guys is hot. 😉
jack
If those opposed to ‘gay marriage’ are doing so for moral reasons, or as they say ‘for the family’, why aren’t they clamouring to outlaw divorce?
vlad
Not about gay marriage but about the pic — WTF?! Where did that com from? Any info about the set and/or movie where it came from? It’s really hot!
oldspeedo
You’ve got it exactly right, Dave…..the legal rights issue is key to this whole argument. Call it a civil union or any name other than marriage so that gay couples get the same rights as married couples in all legal aspects. This will placate the religeous right. The couples themselves can call the union anything they want. As Dr. Phil states, there are several churches that recognize same sex unions.
WheresFedererinaspeedo
“Call it a civil union or any name other than marriage so that gay couples get the same rights as married couples in all legal aspects.”
This will never work, because the term marriage by itself has those rights automatically associated with it legally which the term “civil unions” does not. Civil unions require a whole new set of laws that do not give you the same things marriage does. You don’t get to cut and paste the marriage laws into a new document that now says “Gay Civil Unions” and call it a day. Using a different word just continues to allow others to define our relationships as illegitimate in comparison to heterosexual ones. Not only that, it gives lawmakers free-reign to write anything into law that they desire and call it a civil union. Furthermore, calling them civil unions does not stop big money christian conservative jerkwads from fighting them- they will fight to bring down anything that even remotely legitimizes gay relationships.
Plus, the term “everything but marriage”, the euphemism for this gay rights legislation, only continues to define us as an other, on the outside of the “normal” world. It will not help anyone see gay marriages as anything other than less than a heterosexual marriage. And that old-as-the-hills adage about “marriage is what str8 people do- and I’m not str8 so I don’t want what they have” is not refreshing in the slightest. It’s just plain stupid, and has never been anything but. Marriage is NOT the sole property of heterosexuals and never has been, so please don’t validate this idiotic pseudo-substitute for subcultural autonomy that rejects marriage because it’s “str8”. If you want to pledge a lifetime legal, spiritual, and emotional commitment to the person you love, that is a marriage whether you call it that or not.
admin
To the last commenter,
I completely agree with you and even the fact that this discussion is taking place shows how backwards some people are.
However, I like democracy and 31 times ‘Gay Marriage’ has been voted against by a majority of the people. So far the that has proved within the constitution and what that says to me is that the majority of the population aren’t ready for ‘Gay Marriage’.
My point in the post was that if society isn’t ready for ‘Gay Marriage’ (which in time I have no doubt will be) then the legal rights and responsibilities that go along with marriage should be persued until society has caught up.
This is a wonderful discussion and thank you for taking the time to comment.
Dave
Ted
Considering that the majority of those who are oppposed to gay marriage are conservatives, Republicans and religious fundamentalists, it puzzles me a lot more as to why you support them. You seem to have a great dislike for Obama even though gays and lesbians (GLBT) overwhelmingly voted for him and the Democrats. Maybe you can shed some more light about this. I certainly despise the Republicans and their ilk. They are behind the opposition against many gay-friendly policies like equal rights and anti-hate laws.
raulito
The way I see it there is no way to placate the religious right. They are wrong in assuming that because they are a majority they can impose their religious views on everyone. America is all about the majority rules but minorities have rights.
If we let them define marriage for us then we are admitting of being inferior or second class and worse, not worthy in the eyes of the Creator. How dare they?
Who told them they were better because they stick a dick into a dirty cunt? What makes them think that the Creator didn’t have a purpose for me?
just a thought..
saludos,
raulito