Gay Marriage.....

[Boreas]

.... was on the ballot in Maine, Maryland, Washington and Minnesota. The Christian Right and the Catholic Church spent tons and tons of money trying to defeat these measures. All but Minnesota passed the measures.

Any thoughts?

John

[finnbow]

Amazingly, there wasn't much hoopla at all here in Maryland. I'm not sure I saw a single ad on the topic, unlike the gambling initiative for which commercials played constantly. It seems MD was quite ready for this law.

[ebacon]

I'm all for same sex marriage provided the chicks are hot.

More seriously, though, this is something that I've softened my position against as I've aged. I used to be concerned that gay married couples could adopt kids and then the kids would think, what, am I so screwed up that only gays would take me?

But as I've mellowed and learned more about the adoption system I have also come to realize that there are intermediaries in the process that don't adopt kids out willy-nilly. They make sure they are a match and the kids want to be adopted by that particular couple. Those kids would benefit from being in a home with parents that they can relate to. They would also have the added security that legal marriage brings, such as one spouse being able to secure health insurance for the family and inclusion in the structure for intestate succession. Those are probably the most valuable benefits to allowing gay marriage and they would help in the big picture IMO.

My redneck side still gets irked by them if they get flamboyant but I could make a deal. Stop acting like fags on TV and I'll vote for gay marriage rights if given the chance. I'm so sick of seeing dudes kissing on TV I can't stand it. Just the other night some dudes sprung a kiss on TV and I groaned. My wife laughed at me.

Sincerely,
Archie Bunker

[BlueStreak]

I was against it when I was young. But, back then I was a small town Ohio redneck who thought the Good Lord made queers so's we'd have someone to bully-n-harass for entertainment.

Then I found out one of my sisters was gay. That changed things. Anyone bullying or harassing MY sister was in for it. Then , I met some friends of hers, a lesbian couple who were raising a son. (Artificial insemination.) Not only did the guy turn out okay (and straight), but he turned out to be very well adjusted. Today he's a Major and flies fighter jets for the Air Force. That changed the rest.

Sooooo......What's the big deal?

Regards,
Dave

[bobabode]

Good for those states. This is so simple, it's never OK to deny a right(marriage contract) from any citizens. Hell, I'm even ambivalent about polygamy. Must've been all of the Heinlein that I've read. Patty and I have always felt this way. Some years back we would go to our friends place (mostly gay guys)for a pre Tkanksgiving feast, potluck style. It was the best group of people that we've met. It was disconcerting at first to be flirted with by a lumberjack looking dude (a bear)but it was all in good fun. I just hid behind Patty. One year I made up a whole tray of cream puffs (20 or so) and brought them with us, they were the hit of the partyFirst time I ever heard Magnepan's was there. Too bad he moved up to Seattle, those feasts were the best food I've ever eaten. Just regular folk, IMO.

[Mr. Lin]

Originally Posted by bobabode

Good for those states. This is so simple, it's never OK to deny a right(marriage contract) from any citizens.

I've been saying this for a decade: Lots of people are going to look very foolish in the not-so-distant future for making such a huge deal out of gay marriage, as if it actually genuinely hurts anyone, at all. I'm glad to see things heading decisively in the direction of legalizing gay marriage, even though there's still a long way to go.

[piece-itpete]

Isn't Obama claiming a man-date?

Pete

[merrylander]

There were a few ads on TV against same sex marriage, mostly consisting of outright lies. The new Bishop in Charm City spoke against it, but he seems to be against everything.

We are straight, just not narrow, we had an expression in Quebec "tete de pioche" literally translated it means "hoe head" meaning your mind is about as wide as the edge of a hoe blade.

[Bigerik]

Again, there are much bigger problems than gay marriage. I wasn't a huge proponent at first, but I notice the world hasn't come to an end, and we have had it here for more than 7 years.

Then again, we are nothing but a nation of heathen communists.

[d-ray657]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

Isn't Obama claiming a man-date?

Pete

And Jimi Hendrix was gay too. Remember in Purple Haze how he sang "Excuse me while I kiss this guy."

Regards,

D-Ray