ArchivedWhy do you oppose gay marriage?But that's not what I said. I think they <I>may</I> be two symptoms of the same problem -- a lack of societal acceptance. Of course, I'm not convinced that issue isn't mostly illusion, and that the problem lies in how the data is collected. In the last study I saw on the longevity of gay relationships, the subjects were acquired by advertising in gay venues. Now, I may be stereotyping, but I suspect the club-going type is a little more likely to be young, uncommitted, and hopping from one short-term relationship to the next than your <I>average</I> individual. Hit the heterosexual bar scene and I suspect you'd get similarly skewed results. A gay grandmother on another board once pointed out: She and her partner of 50 years don't go to gay events, subscribe to gay newsletters, or otherwise participate in a "gay lifestyle" -- except for living together, of course. From the standpoint of most of these studies, they're invisible. But they exist. And yes, I'm well aware that one can jump through enough legal hoops to <I>approximate</I> marriage. I am still uncertain as to why we should <I>have</I> to. I'd prefer to steer clear of religious debates; I might be tempted to jump in. But I <I>have</I> seen gay Christians who argued with a certain unreasonable vehemence that led me to believe that they had "issues." I've seen ex-gay Christians do the same. The fact that some people <I>know</I>, deep down, that homosexuality is wrong... isn't exactly news to me. Been there, done that. And got over it, I'd like to think. And I think the idea that <I>all</I> gay activists must be campaigning out of insecurity and self-hatred is a bit silly, and more of a convenient way to dodge the issues raised than a meaningful response to them... "We'd like to be able to get married, please." "Oh, you're just looking for society's stamp of approval because deep down, you don't really accept yourselves." "Uh... no, actually, we're in love and we'd like to get married...?" "You know, <I>lust</I> can easily be confused with love. And I don't see why people like you would want to get married anyhow." "Uh... right. Well, see, there's all these rights married couples have..." "Oh, <I>that</I>. Well, get a lawyer, then. You can get <I>most</I> of those, and it shouldn't cost you <I>too</i> much." "...but why can't we just <I>get married?</I>" "Well, <I>statistically,</I> you're unlikely to be faithful to each other." And that's where I'd lose <I>my</I> temper, so I think I'd better cut my mock-dialog short. I have a sneaking suspicious that it ends with the anti-gay-marriage-person saying <I>"Because I think it's wrong!"</I>, though. Possibly with a reference to the Bible, because the only people who I've seen take that side are Christian. I don't remember asking about heterosexual immorality recently (I don't think straight people should be legally obligated to obey Christian morality, either), but I have to admit I'm curious as to what the "most visited Christian message board on the Internet" might be. My Jewish friend is formerly Orthodox, but now identifies as "observant." The difference is a bit esoteric to me, since he's still following the same rules -- keeping the letter of the Torah to the best of his ability, as you put it. It has to do with the authority of rabbis and whether or not he gets to decide who he's going to take as an authority, as far as I can tell. As I understand it, the Conservative movement is still too liberal for him, and he doesn't think Reform is Judaism at all. <I>He</I> certainly couldn't be gay. My point was, he doesn't think the rules he follows should extend to <I>me</I>... a courtesy I appreciate. |
🌈Pride🌈 goeth before Destruction
When 🌈Pride🌈 cometh, then cometh Shame