Tuesday, June 17, 2008

please.

It's appalling to me that there are people who are spending their time and money ensuring that gays do not have the right to marry. These people are not defenders of marriage. Spend your time fighting against divorce. Not marriage.

Now, if gays started to fight for the right to get married in any church whose leaders expressly forbid homosexual marriage, I'd join the fight against them. I support their right to marry - I do not support their right to undermine the religious beliefs of others.

That said, the people in California are not fighting for spiritual ceremonies - they can be had anywhere. Get a church that supports you, an officiant that supports you, and get all of your family and friends together - boom, you're married.

The people in California are fighting for the state to recognize their union and give them all of the benefits thereof. Why in the world would you fight against that? The institution of marriage remains, and Gay1 can get on Gay2's insurance plan. What business is that of anybody's?

People should stop confusing politics and practicalities with affronts to their religion. Get over it.

12 comments:

Melinda said...

Not to mention that many religious orgs support and/or require gay marriage, so current laws are an affront to our religous beliefs. But right now, the religious view of some gets to determine the religious rights of all. (My rabbi can't perform a marriage ceremony per se that isn't ratified by the state. I can only get a commitment ceremony... in the back of the bus!)

But the people who think I'm a threat to their religion's definition of marriage should remember that separation of church and state protects them too. The government CAN'T tell any religious group which ceremonies it MUST perform. Catholic priests don't have to marry divorced people. Orthodox rabbis don't have to perform interfaith marriage ceremonies. And on and on.

Don't worry, we're never going to ask the government to change that. Separation of church and state gets big support amongst the gays. Religious freedom gets big support from this gay!

Anyway, thanks for your support, random straight person. haha. No, really, I think it sometimes takes more wisdom and courage to surrender privilege than to fight for your own freedoms. Thanks.

Webmaster said...

AMEN, Stacey! Most people who are against gay marriage just overlook all the divorcees in their midst, even though the Bible is full of admonitions against divorce. But no, divorcees are embraced in the Christian church.

Hypocrites.

Nicole Bradshaw said...

You ain't just whistlin' Dixie, hon. This whole mess started when the government decided to put its finger in the religion pie, giving people who had been joined in the eyes of their God certain legal rights to one another, too.

I think being joined in the eyes of the LAW should be an option for gay couples, because people who are legally bound have a unique access to one another - health insurance, end-of-life matters, etc. - that we cannot deny to any citizen while still upholding the constitution.

So it all boils down to whether we mean that all folks are equal when we say it, or if it is just lip service, KWIM? Is this America or what?

HEATHER said...

You know Stacey, the whole issue is simply about distraction. To distract "we the people" from the fact that we are paying $4 a gal for gas, and to distract from the issues of the war.
I am completely and totally in support of gay marriage-I see no reason they shouldn't be as miserable as the rest of us! Awful joke but I do support gay marriage. Did you see the couple who had been together for 55 years, and were married by Gavin Newsome? How are they/their marriage a threat to straight people's marriage? I don't get that line of thinking.

Katy said...

Gosh. The people who read your blog are smart. Whenever people start ranting and raving about gay marriage I can't help but say, "do you know that there are children who go to school hungry in this country?" Believe what you want about gay marriage, but the Bible is also real clear about the hungry. The fact that we CHOOSE to focus on gay marriage says loads about us and our faith.

Katy said...

I didn't mean YOU focusing on it. I meant the Christians that choose to get up in arms about gay marriage when people are dying preventable deaths and children are starving in one of the richest nations in the world. Boggles the mind.

watercolordaisy said...

Amen!!

Melinda said...

You straight people give me the warm and fuzzies. Thank you.

Kayra said...

I don't know that I can add anything that hasn't been said. I'm all for allowing gays to marry, for all the reasons you stated. Not too long ago, right here in the south, it was illegal for my husband and I to get married because I wasn't white. So yeah, I am biased about it, I don't do well with the government telling me what to do and who to marry.

White Hot Magik said...

My mom started on this tirade last night, and I just had to leave the area. I have no clue how gay marriage minimizes my marriage. I want to have my right to do as I please, religious wise so I would like to let others as well.

I dropped by from Bird's by the way, I thought you were another Jenn, enjoyed my visit anyway.

Shiksa on the move said...

Preach on sister. All of my married friends from PRIDE weekend support your clear thinking!

watercolordaisy said...

A blog entry you might be interested in:
http://scalzi.com/whatever/?p=907