Gay Marriage

[American Teacher-old]

Hello all... Regardless of your viewpoint on gay marriage, this is an interesting little tidbit of news. I wanted to share a rather inspiring quote from a professor at my very own alma mater in the USA. Though it does not look like gay marriage will be legalized federally anytime soon in the USA -- if it ever happened, it certainly would make the visa thing for Thai Boyfriends more accessable. Well, one can dream anyhow. At the very least, every gay organization in America is pushing hard to block the constitutional ammendment that would limit legal marriage to a man and a woman.

***On Wednesday, March 1st, 2006, in Annapolis at a hearing on the proposed Constitutional Amendment to prohibit gay marriage, Jamie Raskin, professor of law at AU, was requested to testify. At the end of his testimony, Republican Senator Nancy Jacobs said: "Mr. Raskin, my Bible says marriage is only between a man and a woman. What do you have to say about that?"

Raskin replied: "Senator, when you took your oath of office, you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution. You did not place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

The room erupted into applause. :cheers:

Fondly,
Chris

Chris,

That is a fantastic quote!

Speaking from the UK I can hardly believe that the Civil Partnership law here was passed with so little fuss. After all our years of campaigning, it seems that our parliament had no real problem with recognising our rights in law.

Of course your poll could be a little misleading. I am one of those who says that our relationships are not akin to marriage. I do hope not anyway since more than one in three marriages end in divorce. I am hoping that when I get hitched to my boyfriend later this year, our relationship is more lasting.

The poor old US of A seems to be sinking further into reactionary isolationism. Those hypocritical pseudo-christians who seem to have so much power are hell-bent on persecuting those who do not share their beliefs.

[American Teacher-old]

Indeed TR... As an American, it is very difficult for me to sit by and watch the right-wing christian fanatics dictate how to run our country -- or even worse, how we personally live our own lives. I keep hoping that the rest of the country will wake up, and once-and-for-all take a stand for equal rights.

I have a best friend who's 20-year partner died from cancer, and he was unable to be with him in the hospital because he was not "family" or a "spouse." This is just unforgiveable. When will Americans wake up and smell the coffee?

Anyhow, hope springs eternal, eh?

-Chris

[Bob]

Joining my fellow curmudgeon, Homi, a legal marriage is for the birds. I can see pushing for some legal rights - rights to equal housing, pay, etc. or, maybe more appropriately, laws that prohibit discrimination on account of sexual orientation, but why anyone would want the benefit/harness of being officially (as in government sanctioned) married is beyond me. Commitment doesn't need a piece of paper and I hardly want to be like "them."

[American Teacher-old]

For me, it's not about being "like them." However you choose to live your relationship is between you and your partner. But for me, it is the benefits -- not the legality that I want. I want equal rights under the immigration laws. I want equal rights under the tax laws. I want equal rights under the health benefits law. I want equal rights so that my partner and I may live together with the SAME benefits as married people -- if we so choose. To have these rights available is really the argument -- not whether or not you persoanlly want them now. Trust me, circumstances can change in the blink of an eye -- and benefits you never thought you needed (and now can't live without) can become your own living horror story.

In short, gay people and straight people should have rights that are (as Thai people say) "Same, Same."

Fondly,
Chris

Yep America is a funny sort of place so backwards and in so many surprising ways. There is a real religious grip in that country, that to us Euros or other new worldly types appears quite Byzantine. I have figured that this might be because they are just in most ways a young country and need to go through all the shit that brought Europeans through and out the other end of Christianity a long time ago. Why they need to do this in this day and age of free information is unclear to me. Even middle America has the internet. Could it be the rule of fear, as in the childlike belief in the wrath of god, or of foreigners?

Gays issues, abortion, death sentences etc etc in a nut shell human rights, or and the right to free choice. Spot the irony???

I support the rights of individuals to be able to make their own decisions about whether or not to marry, and to whom -- including same-sex couples.

Personally, though, I have no interest aping breeders by engaging in what is basically a pagan transfer-of-chattel ceremony. I'm not big on symbolic, public ceremonies of any type anyway, and truly believe that I would resist the whole marriage thing even if I were straight. I'm happy I'm not, and one of the biggest reasons is there is less societal/familiar pressure to put one's relationship into a mold that is dictated by tradition and public expectation.