To be clear, I’m for gay marriage, but I think it’s utterly meaningless whether any of us is for or against it. It’s incomprehensible to me that so many people in this country have to stick their noses in the lives of others. Who the hell cares whether someone’s getting married or not? Why is it anyone else’s business? For me, it’s not a matter of whether or not we should allow homosexuals to get married; that just puts forth the ridiculous notion that they need permission.
Lately there’s been so much attention on this issue with Proposition Eight in California and the protests. The funniest thing I hear is when people say the defenders of gay marriage are “imposing their views” on the rest of us. How’s that? How is a gay couple tyring to get married imposing that view on anyone? “Imposing” their view would be forcing straight people to get married to other straight people. Gay couples who want to get married aren’t asking you to do anything. They don’t want special concessions, they’re not trying to recruit anyone, and they’re not trying to spread any idea (except perhaps the notion of tolerance toward gay people . . . the horror!). By trying to get married, gay people are only asking for one thing from straight people: To mind their own business.
And since when did heterosexuals own the concept of marriage? I swear, these conservatices are strutting around on TV talking about “a tradition thousands of years old” like this gives them some sort of veto power. Tradition for the sake of tradition is pointless. It’s utterly irrational. It’s certainly not a good reason to disallow someone from getting married. I still haven’t heard one single solitary argument for how gay marriage is going to harm – or in any way affect – straight marriage.
And of course, the conservatives always say we should let the voters decide. Why? In what warped version of a democracy do we say that people can vote to take away the personal freedoms of other people? What makes you think you have the right to prevent someone else from getting married? How about we let the people decide whether pornography or sex toys should be legal? Is that next? Or alcohol? What about violent video games or television shows?
But anyway, I’m sick of hearing these whining opponents of gay marriage. Their arguments are either weak or nonexistent. They’re a dying breed and they know it. Gay marriage will eventually be legalized, and they’ll find something else to pout about.
In the meantime, I say gay people should thumb their noses at marriage. As long as they have civil unions, they have the same legal rights as a married couple, which is of paramount importance. This is just my opinion, but why bother with the traditional ceremony? A quasi-religious ritual based on the tradition of a man bartering away his daughter’s hymen doesn’t say anything about your commitment to one another anyway. For me, at least, it seems pointless. If I were gay, I’d say fuck you and your idea of marriage – you can keep it.
It is evident you are very passionate about this issue. Perhaps rather than ranting (which I consider this particular post to be a rant)you could use some “reason” in your discussion about the issue of gay marriage.
You mentioned civil unions; within my sphere there are several civil union “straight marriages” (done by justices of the peace and other individuals licensed by the state to perform marriages). My second marriage was performed by such an individual, not in a “church” but outside on a labyrinth in a place called a Sacred Oak Grove and it was designed and built to be more Celtic than Christian although a labyrinth has a lengthy Christion history.
All of the above is to say; what are you speaking about when you say others (straight married couples like myself) are sticking our noses in other peoples lives? The very first sentence of your rant (post) states “its utterly meaningless whether any of us is for or against it”! My wife and I married outside the “church” because we have no intention of attending a church on any regular basis so why should we expect a church and a church pastor to perform our marriage!
Sceptic Con, what am I missing in your rant (post) about gay marriage?
Comment by spiritualway — January 2, 2009 @ 6:50 pm |
spirtualway, I think the “rant” was not so much about gay marriage within the church as it was about civil unions. Gay individuals cannot be married in most states as they are not recognized, thus they are denied many protections that straight couples have, despite their commitment.
sceptic con, I must comment on one thing. First, though, this is a superb post about the issue of gay marriage, there is rising evidence that gay marriage itself has just as much a tradition as straight marriage does. So many articles/books/research, yet so little coverage.
Comment by nduguu — January 3, 2009 @ 4:22 am |
Yikes…This is always such a touchy issue.. Do you ever think people will come to a conclusion about the whole issue?
Comment by Mark Houston Recovery — January 4, 2009 @ 7:45 pm |