This article addresses the issues of gay rights and marriage in political, economical, social, and many other points of views and issues. i will be taking quotes fro this article and farther elaboration on the points made, giving examples along the way.
"Ask just about anyone. They'll all tell you they're in favor of equal rights for homosexuals. Just name the situation, and ask. They'll all say, yes, gays should have the same rights in housing, jobs, public accommodations, and should have equal access to government benefits, equal protection of the law, etcetera, etcetera.
Then you get to gay marriage.
And that's when all this talk of equality stops dead cold.
More than half of all people in the United States oppose gay marriage, even though three fourths are otherwise supportive of gay rights. This means that many of the same people who are even passionately in favor of gay rights oppose gays on this one issue."(Scott Bidstrup)
Isn't this so true. But why is it true? People get the wrong ideas about gays, but then again, their points can be right too. For example, this article brings up the point that a popular view of gay relationships is that they are all sexual and have no substance or love. But, in the same light, straight relationships have that too, people only ion the relationship for sex and no passion involved. But also like straight couples, gays mature with age and find they will want a more committed relationship.
"The values that such gay couples exhibit in their daily lives are often indistinguishable from those of their straight neighbors. They're loyal to their mates, are monogamous, devoted partners. They value and participate in family life, are committed to making their neighborhoods and communities safer and better places to live, and honor and abide by the law. Many make valuable contributions to their communities, serving on school boards, volunteering in community charities, and trying to be good citizens. In doing so, they take full advantage of their relationship to make not only their own lives better, but those of their neighbors as well."(Scott Bidstrup)
And see, gays are nice people too. Its not like they're is anything wrong with them, they want to contribute to the community too. But, no doubt you have all seen the popular show Will and Grace. Now, this show accurately shows the two sides of gays. You've got jack, who shows the more fun loving, in for it for a physical relationship kind of guy. And then there's Will who is in it for the long run, he is looking for someone who will last. And Grace, she is an inspiration to us all.
"Many of the reasons offered for opposing gay marriage are based on the assumption that gays have a choice in who they can feel attracted to, and the reality is quite different. Many people actually believe that gays could simply choose to be heterosexual if they wished. But the reality is that very few do have a choice -- any more than very few heterosexuals could choose which sex to find themselves attracted to."(ScottBidstrup)
This is the point I've been trying to make all along. Sometimes gays don't have a choice, they just are. Just like we are born with brown hair, or our parents habits, they too can be born that way. I mean, just think about it, gays are persecuted so much that if they had the choice to feel attracted to the opposite sex, don't you think they would never even mention being attracted to their own sex. Or, they would call themselves bisexual to let others know that hay, I am not fully attracted to wither sex, and I'm proud of it.
If you think about it, we consider gays to be a race. they weren't segregated or anything, but they are looked down upon, and have limited rights. I mean, telling gay people that they have no right to marry, is like kicking the crutch out from under a child born cripple, or telling a black person to move so you could sit, or assuming someone is an illegal immigrant just because they are Mexican. I mean, we might as well do all those things, we do it with health care don't we? We take the dieing to the hospital, if they cant pay for medical attention, wait until their stable, then put them right back on the streets....sometimes not even that.
So for those who think gay couples are just about sexual attraction, what is really the point. I mean, there is only so much you can do without the 2 sex parts. And it depends on whether we are talking about guy on guy attraction or girl on girl. I mean, you really can only do so much before it becomes pointless. Married couples get married because they want to spend the rest of their lives together, and to make babies. Well, two gay people cant make babies, its basically impossible. two women couples can, but they need outside help. So wouldn't you think that the only other reason gays would want to get married is because of compassion for each other, or a want of further commitment? Plus we have so many poor, dieing, abandoned kids in orphanages and on the streets. without gay couples. There arn't many other couples who adopt children. The only other people who adopt are women who don't have the ability to have babies because of illness or age, or people who feel it would be more beneficial for them to adopt, because they don't think they can endure the pain of child birth. and isn't our main issue in life children? We are always trying to enhance the young mind to be a smarter, more efficient successor then we were. But how can we do that if there is so much sadness and poverty in the world. Gays better help to resolve this problem.
"Gay relationships are immoral. Says who? The Bible? Somehow, I always thought that freedom of religion implied the right to freedom from religion as well. The Bible has absolutely no standing in American law, as was made clear by the intent of the First Amendment (and as was very explicitly stated by the founding fathers in their first treaty, the Treaty of Tripoli, in 1791) and because it doesn't, no one has the right to impose rules anyone else simply because of something they perceive to be a moral injunction mandated by the Bible." (Scott Bindstrup)
Man, this guy hit the nail on the head. He's absolutely right. We cannot say that gay marriage is immoral because we technically don't have that right. Well, we can say it, and think it, we are all entitled to our own opinions, but at the same time, we are not aloud to discriminate gays because of the fact that we BELIEVE it to be immoral.
"Marriages are for procreation and ensuring the continuation of the species. The proponents of this argument are really hard pressed to explain, if that's the case, why infertile couples are allowed to marry. I, for one, would love to be there when the proponent of such an argument is to explain to his post-menopausal mother or impotent father that since they cannot procreate, they must now surrender their wedding rings and sleep in separate bedrooms. That would be fun to watch!" (Scott Bidstrup)
So, we all should listen to this guy more often because now that you think about it, he has some pretty good points here, I mean I cannot find a single place in this article where he doesn't logically prove wrong all of the stereotypes about gays, and the reasons they should not wed. I mean, hey, they just want a little happiness and equality in life, is that too much to ask? So this article goes on to talk about the "real" reason people appose gay marriage, why politics consider gays a threat, and why this is such a big civil rights issue. I will be sure to mention these in other blog entries, but for now I will leave you with this information, my opinion, and the opinion and research of Scott Bidstrup.
Bidstrup, Scott. "Gay Marriage: The Argumants and the Motives." Veritas Et Ratio, Truth and Reason, September 1998 in the anthology, "At Issue: Gay Marriage" (ISBN 156510692X). http://www.bidstrup.com/marriage.htm
