Same Sex Marriage Debate

[smc]

This should be the shortest debate ever. Like the Facebook group is called that I joined after it was started by a young friend of mine:

Against Gay Marriage? Then Don't Get One and Shut the Fuck Up.

Whatever two people want to do should be no one else’s business. I don’t believe the state should be in the business of regulating “lifestyles.” Finally, a partner should have the same legal rights and benefits as a spouse. Therefore, yes, I am for same sex marriage. Speaking entirely for myself, I really don’t understand why it is still “prohibited.”

As for your friend’s family, I detect a hint that all is not as it should be, I hope they find it in their hearts to accept her and her partner just as they are.

One day none of this will be an issue anymore.

[jimnaseum]

Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger went off reservation when he said that if two people love each other, why should the state of California come between them? I think that's the modern way to look at it, but in small towns, where there are no secrets and nobody locks doors, I don't know why a gay couple would want to live there if they got hassled everyday. You can't live on Love alone.
Washington DC just OK'd Gay Marriage but there's more to it than just being open-minded. Like the thousands of dollars that would go into the Economy from all the marriages. Gay gouples also are known to transform ghettoes into gorgeous neighborhoods. .

[jdawg]

This is pretty straightforward. If 2 people are in love, then they should have the option of getting a marriage. Those 2 people getting married doesn't affect anybody, but themselves and their families and friends. I can't believe this is still being debated.

[ila]

I'm all for same sex marriage. I'm glad that I live in a country where same sex marriage is allowed. Same sex marriage takes nothing away from anyone and gives legal rights and legitimacy to everyone that wants to get married.

Originally Posted by jdawg

This is pretty straightforward. If 2 people are in love, then they should have the option of getting a marriage. Those 2 people getting married doesn't affect anybody, but themselves and their families and friends. I can't believe this is still being debated.

I don't see how the act of two people getting married should affect families and friends of those two people. It affects the people getting married and no one else.

[jdawg]

I didn't mean anything bad about that comment. What I meant was that it would affect your family because you're bringing in a new family member. I'm not sure how this wouldn't affect family relations for better or worse.

[ginger22]

Originally Posted by jdawg

This is pretty straightforward. If 2 people are in love, then they should have the option of getting a marriage. Those 2 people getting married doesn't affect anybody, but themselves and their families and friends. I can't believe this is still being debated.

the fact that this is a debate blows me away. fortunately, another few years will take care of it.

[CreativeMind]

Originally Posted by jimnaseum

Washington DC just OK'd Gay Marriage but there's more to it than just being open-minded...

Actually, DON'T expect Washington, DC same-sex marriage to stand for very long. Long story short, what the City Council did was basically issue a ruling allowing it... in fact, they specifically wrote the legislation with a provision saying they wouldn't allow any future challenges to their decision... but that obviously circumvented the people of Washington, DC and clearly prevented them from having ANY say in the matter, which they're now demanding a right to do.

When they rammed through their ruling, the city council knew they were on wobbily legs legally.
As an article over at the Electronic Frontier Foundation notes...

"The same-sex marriage battle has intensified this week. Bishop Harry Jackson and his congressional supporters argued in court that the city's election authority should allow same-sex marriage to be voted on, while filing a request for another vote overturning the same-sex marriage law passed by the D.C. Council and signed by Mayor Adrian Fenty. They told the D.C. Agenda that their strategy involves filing as many requests for votes and responding with consequent lawsuits until a court agrees with them."

Needless to say -- and especially in a city like Washington, DC that is overflowing with lawyers -- it won't take long to find a judge/court who will agree with the petitioners that the City Council overstepped its authority. So, it might take a little time, but expect a ballot initiative to be put forward for a public vote, much like California had Prop 8.

[Amy]

It's utterly insane how a developed country can oppose this. I expect this sort of crap from somewhere like Uganda, still suffering from the legacy of colonialism and yet to pull itself into the 20h century, let alone the 21st, but America ought to have come further than this...

[smc]

Originally Posted by Amy

It's utterly insane how a developed country can oppose this. I expect this sort of crap from somewhere like Uganda, still suffering from the legacy of colonialism and yet to pull itself into the 20h century, let alone the 21st, but America ought to have come further than this...

When it comes to overcoming legacies, the former colonies of Africa are -- in many respects -- decades ahead of America's ability to overcome the legacy that keeps it from embracing gay marriage rights nationwide. That legacy is Puritanism, the basis for America's initial settlement by whites. And it is Puritanism that makes this the most backward countries of the developed world with respect to everything from nudity on television to universal healthcare provided by the government as a basic human right.

So, Amy, you shouldn't be so surprised.