Why I Now Fully Support Gay Marriage

I just watched the debate a few minutes ago on Gay Marriage between a San Franciscan radio talk show host and some "Family Values" guy. I used to be opposed to Gay Marriage, and support civil unions, but now for the following reasons I now fully support Gay Marriage.

1) There is no compelling state interest in preventing Gay Marriage.
2) No heterosexual marriage will mean any less because two men or women will be able to commit themselves to one another.
3) Our society should encourage monogamous relationships and families (in all their colorful forms), not discourage them.
4) If Britney Spears can get married and divorced all in a weekend, but two committed individuals cannot dedicate their lives to one another, there is already something wrong with the "institution" of marriage.

As such, I fully oppose any Constitutional amendment to discriminate against homosexuals, and I fully support all laws designed to guarantee equal rights and privileges to homosexual couples. I really don't care if it's called "marriage" or not, as I think the term "marriage" is a religiously loaded word, but all federal rights and responsibilities should be afforded to homosexual couples.

I encourage every American to rethink their hesitancy to Gay Marriage, but I understand that our Presidential candidate must walk a tightrope on this issue, and I think we should accept that and realize that our candidate (especially if it's Kerry) must not lose because of this issue.

There are plenty of vile, truly evil things that are just accepted and condoned. In contrast, as you said, marriage is a good thing - a commitment and striving for a family. That, to me, is the complete opposite of vile and evil.

Oh, and how does allowing gay marriage make my commitment to my husband or his to me any less special?

Equal Protection under the law, or they believe the US should be a theocracy with doctrines of a particular religious sect hardwired into the constitution.

For some, it is a combination of both.

under the law makes no sense to me, either. How does it hurt someone to have someone else have equal rights? That's all I could ever figure out - that it was a religious thing.

be very beneficial to many groups. Take employers, for example. If the law says I have to pay workmens' comp on every employee, and I have 50 office workers and 300 laborers, most of whom are, say, Mexicans, it would help me out a lot if those Mexicans had a separate legal status.

Once you can remove, at a constitutional level, the principle of equal protection under the law, the possibilities are endless.

And you'll have a much better chance of getting your foot in that door by starting off with an unpopular target group.

I just don't know what else to say.

Those who oppose "gay marriage" do so out of a religious conviction that marriage is between a man and a woman ONLY. However, the GOVERNMENT is NOT supposed to involve itself in religious matters (the seperation of Church and State), and thus by denying "gay marriage" it is endorsing one particular religious viewpoint.

So not only is it an equal rights issue, it is a seperation of Church and State issue, and thus there are plenty of reasons why marriage should be defined as being between two consenting people.

Hell, even THAT is pushing a particular religious viewpoint, and thus it should really be defined as between two or more consenting people.

Good Point.

but I don't know the entire list. I want to include that in a letter I am writing to my legislators, to show them that this IS a religious discrimination issue along with other civil rights issues.

Does anyone know which other religions I can add to my list?

Back when I was a broke-ass art student, I got a freelance job videotaping a gay couple's committment ceremony (it wasn't legally binding, obviously, but the men wanted to perform a wedding ceremony to affirm their committment to each other for their families and friends on the occasion of their moving in together, which I thought was awfully sweet). The minister who performed the ceremony was Unitarian.

:toast:

I have thought long and hard on this issue recently, and I agree with your sentiments 100%. I stand in solidarity with my LGBT brothers and sisters!

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doesnt work either since people that don't believe in god are allowed to get married.

That's why I support gay marriage. There but for the grace of God go I, basically.

Later.

RJS