ArchivedWhy do you oppose gay marriage?*sigh* When I say "equality," I don't mean "sameness." I mean "equality under the law." And when I say I'm "gay," I mean "sexually attracted to women." Perhaps the people you met meant "carefree and happy"? I've never really been in love. Infatuated, I guess I'd call it... I didn't know her well enough to claim that I "loved" her. I think love -- in the romantic sense of the word -- is a combination of sexual attraction and emotional intimacy. Lust would be more along the lines of sexual attraction without any interest in emotional intimacy. I should have been more clear on the "rejection / fear of rejection" bit, I meant from family -- particularly parents -- not potential lovers. <I>Other</I> sense of the word "love," there. And I do think that being rejected by your parents can have a negative impact on one's psychological health, above and beyond the sort of rejection everyone has to deal with in life. I'm not particularly looking for societal acceptance, although I think it's coming along nicely, and should do a lot of good for the next generation of gay kids. I'm looking for equal rights. I've never understood how one can have a "relationship" with Jesus, except in a very metaphorical sense. If you feel compelled to try to explain, please keep in mind: I was raised Christian, I have read the Bible, and I am an atheist. And short of direct communication from God, I can't imagine that changing. As for the "puzzle" metaphor: I think we can agree that there's a bit more to human romantic/sexual relationships than "men and women fit together." Lacking any sexual attraction for men, I am not going to "fit" with one in anything beyond the physical sense. And I still don't see how <I>you</I> can know that I will never find true inner gratification or happiness in a homosexual relationship. Most of the people I know are in search of "the One," or at least hoping to stumble onto them by chance, one day. Most of the people I know are also straight. Aineo again, That's not my thesis; sorry again for the confusion. My thesis is that gay people are not intrinsically inferior to straight people, that we should not be discriminated against, and that we should, therefore, have the right to legal marriage. Tell me about it. I really do think I'm over the hating-myself-because-I'm-gay thing. But I make no claims to general psychological well-being. I'd normally be disgruntled by this... but the fact is, a year or so ago, you'd be right. But I'm pretty sure that's no longer the case... for one thing, I'm no longer arguing with Christianity, and for another, my style of debate no longer consists of wrapping my pain up into sentences and throwing it at people. *shrug* I could be wrong, of course. But my motivations, whatever they may be, do not invalidate my arguments. Julie, HIV is not exclusive to homosexuals, even in the U.S., and I suspect legal precendents may already be in place. If not, they will eventually be made, whether it's when a gay man infects his husband, or when a (probably bisexual) man infects his wife. I fail to see how this is a valid argument against gay marriage, especially since AIDS/HIV <I>isn't</I> a factor for homosexual <I>women.</I> And one last thing for Aineo... If dysfuctional / negative / no relationship with the father was enough to cause homosexuality... we wouldn't be the minority. It's all very well and good to do a bunch of case studies, and find that a lot of gay people have problems with their fathers. But unless you proceed to a broader study that includes heterosexuals as well, you can't necessarily assume that it means anything. A lot of <I>people</I> have problems with their fathers. The study could be pretty simple: Compare people who grew up in a two-parent household to people raised by single mothers. "No relationship" is much more quantifiable than "dysfunctional," and it eliminates any question of whether the problems could have increased if/when the father reacted badly to the child's homosexuality, thus skewing their judgement of him. So you take those two groups, and you see if the ratio of gay people varies. <I>That</I> would mean something. Has anyone done anything like that? |
🌈Pride🌈 goeth before Destruction
When 🌈Pride🌈 cometh, then cometh Shame