Comments | imperator_mei: Getting to the heart of the same-sex marriage matter

imperator_mei

Getting to the heart of the same-sex marriage matter

Jan 13, 2010 13:47

This is one of those posts where I'm not really certain why I'm writing this. I'm fairly convinced I'm right, but "I'm right! Listen to me!" isn't the point of this. I suppose, like too many bloggers, I wish I were writing an op/ed piece somewhere. Would that it were so ( Read more... )

cognoscenti, politics

Comments 4

shimmerdance January 14 2010, 00:41:09 UTC

delightful and cogent and all good things. Please publish somewhere? Stranger? Something? MSNBC guest column? Seriously, there has to be a place for it. k?

raindrops January 14 2010, 08:27:41 UTC

Excellent essay. Wish I had more free time to write one myself.

9.8 (proofread for a 10.0) ;)

"homosexuality will be taught to children in public schools" janesboots January 15 2010, 02:32:33 UTC

I think you are misunderstanding the real concern expressed by this argument. I suspect it is because you hold the view that homosexuality is something like eye color, that you just have as part of who you are. Whereas the folks making this argument consider homosexuality a behavioral choice, something that can be changed.

The real concern folks have when they make this argument is one or both of these ideas:
1. I'm afraid that homosexual relationships will be portrayed in school as a valid and socially acceptable form of relationship/family (a la reading "heather has two mommies")
2. I'm afraid that they will teach kids how to have gay sex in sex ed.

And if either of these things happen in school, I'm afraid my child will choose to adopt homosexual behavior because you're talking about it like it's not wrongRemember, these folks think being gay is a lifestyle choice only ( ... )

Re: "homosexuality will be taught to children in public schools" imperator_mei January 15 2010, 17:17:11 UTC

Well argued.

My basic response to this would be in two parts. First, keeping same-sex marriage illegal is not going to prevent tolerance from being taught in schools. The obvious trigger for that is when gay kids show up at school, are your kids' friends, and so on. Whether or not there's a same-sex couple across town will have comparatively little impact.

Second, and more importantly, laws aren't there for anyone to use to further their prejudice. I think that being a member of the KKK - a choice, not a condition - is atrocious, but it's not legal for me to bar KKK members from marrying or raising kids. And given that example, boy do I get why someone might have the urge to prevent such marriage and child-rearing, but due process is bigger than that.

On a separate note, I don't necessarily see sexual orientation as a condition and not a choice. I think for some people it's a condition, for others it's a choice. The difference is that even if it is a choice I think it's a valid one, and some people think otherwise. In particular ( ... )