Spewing /love/ from the pulpit...?
I just watched the most eloquent plea for understanding from the straight, Christian, what-have-you segment of the Yes on Prop 8 segment of society from the usually angry, ranting Keith Olbermann, and upon reading the comments to it, I'm finding it almost insane how many people seriously still think gay people CHOOSE to be gay.
Seriously. WTF
Yes, gay people choose at the tender age of 12 (or earlier) to live a psychologically suffocating, painful lifestyle so that they can get their rocks off. Yes, they choose to live in fear that should their family and friends find out, that they might be cut off from the very family unit that is supposed to love them unconditionally as representative of "God's love". Yes, they choose to live in a way that is just screaming "discriminate against me!!" since in many parts of the country, and for someone like me in Japan, anti-discrimination and hate crime laws do not include "sexual orientation" as a no-no criteria.
Yes, gay people are all about the sex. Screw having a life full of love and someone to travel the long road of life with. Screw the pain we may cause family members with our "choice". Screw it all because screwing is all we care about.
And the fact that someone could read what I just wrote as honest opinion instead of sarcasm fills me with pity for them.
As for those people who don't understand why the word "marriage" is so important, I believe it's important for the simple reason that because it has so much weight attached to it, any other word pales in comparison. It's a shame that the government uses the word "marriage" instead of "union" for all marriages, hetero or homo, but since it is used, and if heterosexuals want to retain that word, then to create a different word is truly "separate but equal" in action. It's simple human psychology. "Marriage" means you're special because it itself has a special meaning attached. What weight does a "civil union" have? None. People hear "My partner and I got a civil union (union-ified?? unionized?? wtf do you call it?)," and they think, "Oh, your "partner". How quaint. *yawn*" and brush it off at best, and more hate at worst.
Perhaps subconsciously this "special" status is what heteros who are against gay marriage are trying to "protect", but that makes it even more obvious that it's not something we should embrace as a society. Did not the founders state that our country should allow the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness for all? That all men are created equal? How can we expect to present ourselves as a model country when we can't even give all of our citizens the ability to live in dignity as equals, and instead create a new second class?
While this election has been two steps forward in one respect, we've taken another giant step back. Every election these last few years have only been steps backward as states one after another have systematically written discrimination against gays into their constitutions. How long will it be before the only places gays can truly pursue their happiness are Massachusetts and Connecticut?
I hope that day will never come to pass.
Seriously. WTF
Yes, gay people choose at the tender age of 12 (or earlier) to live a psychologically suffocating, painful lifestyle so that they can get their rocks off. Yes, they choose to live in fear that should their family and friends find out, that they might be cut off from the very family unit that is supposed to love them unconditionally as representative of "God's love". Yes, they choose to live in a way that is just screaming "discriminate against me!!" since in many parts of the country, and for someone like me in Japan, anti-discrimination and hate crime laws do not include "sexual orientation" as a no-no criteria.
Yes, gay people are all about the sex. Screw having a life full of love and someone to travel the long road of life with. Screw the pain we may cause family members with our "choice". Screw it all because screwing is all we care about.
And the fact that someone could read what I just wrote as honest opinion instead of sarcasm fills me with pity for them.
As for those people who don't understand why the word "marriage" is so important, I believe it's important for the simple reason that because it has so much weight attached to it, any other word pales in comparison. It's a shame that the government uses the word "marriage" instead of "union" for all marriages, hetero or homo, but since it is used, and if heterosexuals want to retain that word, then to create a different word is truly "separate but equal" in action. It's simple human psychology. "Marriage" means you're special because it itself has a special meaning attached. What weight does a "civil union" have? None. People hear "My partner and I got a civil union (union-ified?? unionized?? wtf do you call it?)," and they think, "Oh, your "partner". How quaint. *yawn*" and brush it off at best, and more hate at worst.
Perhaps subconsciously this "special" status is what heteros who are against gay marriage are trying to "protect", but that makes it even more obvious that it's not something we should embrace as a society. Did not the founders state that our country should allow the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness for all? That all men are created equal? How can we expect to present ourselves as a model country when we can't even give all of our citizens the ability to live in dignity as equals, and instead create a new second class?
While this election has been two steps forward in one respect, we've taken another giant step back. Every election these last few years have only been steps backward as states one after another have systematically written discrimination against gays into their constitutions. How long will it be before the only places gays can truly pursue their happiness are Massachusetts and Connecticut?
I hope that day will never come to pass.