Hot Topic Tuesday: Marriage Equality

pepperedmoth

This is the next on the docket --- upcoming:

-euthanasia
-legalizing pot
-immigration
-death penalty
-global warming
-affirmative action

pepperedmoth

And I am off practically before the gun to say I really hope this isn't too controversial because I could lose my nice-person street cred REALLY FAST over this.

Consenting adults should be able to marry whoever the f*** they want. Anything else is discriminatory and other words ending in "ist." And just plain wrong.

pepperedmoth

It mystifies me that it's still controversial in the Real World......

pepperedmoth

kirotea said:

Anyone should be able to marry whomever he or she loves. End of story.

Religion should never interfere with the legality/politics on this (although somehow it always does)... 

8-|

I'm chill with religions that don't support gay marriage having the right not to perform them. But I'm not OK with them trying to impose that belief legislatively on the rest of us.

Were I a member of such a religion I would either leave or fight from within. I make that sound hypothetical but it's not; that was a big part of the reason I left Catholicism.

Pinecone21

It would get heated if my dad was on the forums. We had this discussion over Christmas. My cousin recently married his partner, and they are having a reception next year. My dad doesn't see why they need to get married and thinks that the government shouldn't be rewarding their dissolute behavior. He is even more opposed to gay people raising children, since "studies have shown" that children do best with a mother and a father. Dad didn't have much to say after my husband reminded him that he had been raised by a single mom and that not all heterosexual couples make good parents.

SmittyPants

I want my kids to be able to marry the person they love.

benevolentforce

Yeah... I too hope this isn't controversial. I can agree to disagree on a multitude of other topics, but not this one. Everyone should be able to marry whoever they choose.

nlane0723

The government shouldn't decide who you can and cannot marry. I will never understand why gay marriage is so controversial and I think everybody deserves to marry the love of his/her life regardless of sex.

legallyginger

My Constitutional law final a few weeks ago involved me writing for three hours on this exact subject, so I could really go on until I was blue in the face.

The government has ZERO legitimate interest in limiting marriages to opposite sex couples.

bumpuser9058414

Totally agree with all you ladies.

teaforthree

I guess I don't have to say much; I agree with everything all PPs have said

rockopera

I'll go a step further. I don't care if you actually love the person. Lots of opposite-sex marriages aren't about love.

I have two different marriages. One is recognized by the Catholic Church. I met all their rules and did all is needed to do for the church to recognize this union.

And then I have a legal marriage. That entitles me to all kinds if rights and responsibilities as they pertain to my partner.

I'm cool with churches deciding who and who is not recognized in their organizations.

I am not cool with the government deciding what two consenting adults can an cannot enter into that legal contract. I don't care who you love. Who you are sleeping with. Who you want to protect your assets and medical decision making. If you are a consenting adult, you should be able to make that decision and have it be recognized legally by the state. 2 consenting adults not already in a contractual partnership with anyone else. That's all you should need.

The state and, well, everyone else needs to get out of the business of having an opinion in what goes on in of the bedrooms of consenting adults.

AriaAmante143

Love is love. Everyone should be free to marry who they want. My children will also be raised this way.

I hate when people use the Bible as a handbook for why gay marriage is wrong. Did you know
It also tells you not to wear clothes of certain fibers, as well as a lot of other ridiculous, outdated things that no one follows?

Andreabills

It seems that so far the hot topic is pretty one sided with opinions. I agree with everything everyone says, who someone chooses to marry is an incredibly personal decision and quite honestly nobody else's business. I really wish it wasn't such an issue, but it's going to take a federal decision and that could take years to obtain. Meanwhile, I have friends who are genuinely happy and wonderful together who can't be married (or have their marriage recognized if they were to go out of state) in the state if Texas.

I also think that religions have the right to believe/teach what they believe within their 4 walls. I also would go so far as to say that they have the right to evangelize their beliefs if they choose. As American citizens members of those religions have a right to peacefully protest, but their protesting should not influence legislation.

totalbabydoll4ever

I'm in the what ever floats your boat side of the argument, that's my preference on a lot of things. Don't push it on me and let me have my say/side, but if it makes you happy then all the power to them . I will love my kids regardless of the choices they make, agree with them or not. 

aracelyluna

I am 100% for gay marriage, adoption of kids by gay couples etc. I am catholic, I believe in pretty much all the things the Church teaches. However, I think as adults we have the ability to know better. Like using our religion to hate people- we have done that time and time again. When will we learn? (I mean the collective we- obviously the majority of posters know better). To PP about your dad- my dad is highly conservative, he has mixed feelings about gays. In that he doesn't care to interfere with legality of it but still finds it morally wrong. And he told me I shouldn't buy Jorge "girly"'toys because it might turn him gay. I was like "Dad, you have a masters degree, your educated, you can't seriously believe that?" Cue, arguing about what makes people gay. He knows I believe you are just born that way. I am sorry but when I have a 1st grade student crying becuse he is different and confused/scared, you can't convince me that a 6 yr old chooses that.

fish8412

I agree with you ladies!  People should marry whoever they want!  I hope that one day (soon) this is no longer an issue.

cmb2

AriaAmante143 said:

Love is love. Everyone should be free to marry who they want. My children will also be raised this way. I hate when people use the Bible as a handbook for why gay marriage is wrong. Did you know It also tells you not to wear clothes of certain fibers, as well as a lot of other ridiculous, outdated things that no one follows?

I was raised catholic but don't really practice - Just went off on DH and ILs this past week for being so hypocritical for the reasons you stated above - how is it ok to just pick and choose which parts of the bible you want to follow and shame other people for, but ignore the ones that you might be shamed for? Regardless - I agree w/ everyone else that if the church wants to support one thing, so be it, but the Government shouldn't have a say on this matter.

nik1513

I agree with PPs.  People should be entitled to marry the person they love, regardless of sex. It is sad that this is still a debate and I'm glad to see it hasn't gotten heated here (yet).  This is another reason I am proud to be from MA, the first state to legalize gay marriage! 

Lilly&Co

No one told me I could not marry my husband, who am I to have an opinion on who other people marry. I have been to a few same sex marriages and love is love and celebration of life should always be just that happy.

ewallace00

I'm all for it like pp's. The government should not have a say in the legality.
I've always been socially liberal, but fiscally I am becoming more conservative over time -- but out government! This season's first Modern Family episode helped me realize something as well. It's not a gay marriage, it's a marriage. It's not a gay wedding, it's a wedding!

jennybean80

Gay marriage has been legal in Canada for a few years now and *gasp* the social structure hasn't fallen apart! The divorce rate hasn't skyrocketed, children aren't being indoctrinated in 'the gay lifestyle', and we haven't seen any of the plagues of Egypt. Basically for everyone else, life is exactly the same, but people who are gay are now able to make a legal commitment to the partner of their choice. Yay Canada!

My youngest brother is gay, and I'm glad that when he is at a point where he's ready for that commitment, it will be available to him!

VanessaBee

Yes. Without equivocation, hesitation or qualification.

"No freedom until we're equal damn right I support it."

linzerd

Laura8388 said:

I hope this one doesn't cause too much of a disagreement. Everyone is entitled to love who they want. Don't like gay marriages? Don't get one.

Yeah, I have nothing more to say than this.  Being a bi woman in this day and age, I believe you fall in love with a person, not a gender, and NO ONE is ever going to be able to tell me who I can love or marry, period.

lazyreader

I'm all about marrying whomever you want. I have a hard time wrapping my head around why the government is involved at all? Like why is marriage a legal thing to begin with?

Also - just to play devils advocate, for everyone who says love is love marry who you want... What about cousins or siblings or marrying family members?

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CruiseGirl28

This is how I see it. I love my husband to death. He is my best friend and he is an awesome partner to have. I am proud to call him my husband. I would never want anyone to be denied the right to experience that with the person they love, regardless of their genders.

natsmama

My marriage is interracial. 50 or so years ago, it would have been illegal in many states. I'm with PP's on this - I'd never want anyone to be denied the right to marry who they love. One generation ago, I might have been denied that right.

BrideNamedMeg

Just about sums it up for me

rockopera

Kacie said:

Also - just to play devils advocate, for everyone who says love is love marry who you want... What about cousins or siblings or marrying family members?

This is why I leave "love" out of it. I think the legal partnership rules that apply to opposite-sex couples should apply to all legal partnerships.

Same rules should apply legally, no matter what genitals someone has.

coreyeliz

Not a lot to add to this except to voice that I am strongly in favor of gay marriage (which I like to refer to simply as "marriage") and allowing gay couples to adopt.  To previous post whose father said that children do better with a mom and a dad, countless to studies have shown that children of gay couples tend to be very happy, healthy, and well adjusted.  Wish I had them on hand so you could show them to your dad.  I had this argument with some of my family members a couple years ago and hunted down the research.

NortyLeigh

I fully agree with everyone else. I hate that people feel it is their right to judge what other people do with their lives (who they love, how they live, etc).

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legallyginger

rockopera said:

Kacie said:

Also - just to play devils advocate, for everyone who says love is love marry who you want... What about cousins or siblings or marrying family members?

This is why I leave "love" out of it. I think the legal partnership rules that apply to opposite-sex couples should apply to all legal partnerships.

Same rules should apply legally, no matter what genitals someone has.

I agree. There is no box you have to check on your marriage license that says you love each other. Hell, its only a relatively recent notion that marriage has anything to do with love at all. For most of history it was about acquiring/protecting property and positioning yourself in society. There is no logical reason to deny that to people just because they're the same sex.

linzandjer11

Looks like I'm a very small minority...

Marriage is defined and designed to be a sacred relationship between a man and a woman- a commitment to each other, before God.

If the government wants to give the legal benefits of marriage to same-sex couples, there's not a lot I can do about it. But please don't call it marriage, because it's not.

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sopranoali

All you need is love :-)

LittlePigeon

The overwhelming support on this board makes my heart so happy. I have to believe that if this many women from all over the place have this level of open-mindedness, love, and acceptance it speaks to our children being raised in a culture of acceptance.

linzandjer11

snow527 said:

linzandjer11 said:

But please don't call it marriage, because it's not.

Why not?


Because of the above definition.

ewallace00

@linzandjer11. I'm going to play dumb here -- is this the legal definition or a religious definition? I just found this website and see no mention of God. https://www.clgs.org/marriage/state-definitions

AriaAmante143

linzandjer11 said:

Looks like I'm a very small minority...

Marriage is defined and designed to be a sacred relationship between a man and a woman- a commitment to each other, before God.

If the government wants to give the legal benefits of marriage to same-sex couples, there's not a lot I can do about it. But please don't call it marriage, because it's not.

Is this your definition according to the Bible? Because if so, I hope you've brushed up on your Leviticus because there's about 20 other rules you yourself probably break every day.