I've always been against anything other than a man and a woman marrying each other, for it's always been incorrect in my eyes and religiously for two of the same gender to do that... BUT... this is not for the courts to decide about anyone's personal choices. The government does not need to get into anything like this... neither should companies, businesses, etc. Neither should religion... I'll get to that in a bit. If I think that what you're doing in public is wrong, then I just don't see why I should complain to the government about what you're doing if it doesn't directly affect me. I know there is not a choice up there about religion in the poll, but little by little I've been removing the 'religious' aspect from this "gay marriage" out, and continue to support heterosexual unions. Why? I think it's obvious that the more established religions have things to say about this issue, but it's clear that two male humans don't procreate and neither two females. If they try to do this in their privacy or don't force it on others, leave them be in their intimacy or personal lives. That's just how I see it right now. I think I've always seen it the same way, but now there are a few other factors that have changed. Leave people be, government!
Racism is different than gender. WAYYYY different. What Trump said about Mexicans bad... really really bad. We're not a race, but the Latino community is close to being an entire race.
the government's job is to protect the public's rights, and this includes their right to get married. The ability to procreate has nothing to do with it. Many heterosexual couples get married with no intention or ability to procreate.
I did say that there shouldn't have to be a law for this, that people should know what's right or wrong for themselves... in their homes.
It shouldn't have to require a law, but people like you who object to them getting married make it necessary. I'd also like to know how you still think procreation is a relevant reason to deny them, as you conveniently deleted it out of my quote.
I just love the "WHY WON'T YOU RESPECT MY RIGHT TO DISCRIMINATE" crowd. It's both fascinating and mindboggling to watch these people rationalize things and somehow make themselves believe that they are the victims.
You can express an opinion but you can't act like you're being oppressed when absolutely no one is oppressing you. The people in the video come off like they're being oppressed because they now live in a land that will no longer discriminate against gay people who want to get married.
I've always been for gay marriage, as an atheist it has never been an issue that bothered me, nor was it an issue I was particularly concerned with one way or the other. I do respect that people have the right to not like something on religious grounds without being called bigots. Having said that, the supporters/indifferent crowd are now the increasing majority, so they are just gonna have to deal with it. They aren't being oppressed in any way.
People still do have the right to disagree and not like gay marriage or gays. That doesn't mean that people have a right not to be called "bigots". Free speech goes both ways.
That changed with expanding women's rights and economic autonomy, some of the inter- and postwar cultural changes that removed social barriers to romantically choosing a partner, and increased individual prosperity to allow for more nuclear and less extended families. Those are all defining components of American society: particularly in our role as a deviation and "improvement" upon European and classical Western culture. As such the evolved notion of marriage as a child development tool is possibly valid in the context of American laws and customs.
I have avoided replying to this for while because I did not want to turn this into a religious debate, and still don't, but I think these post deserve an answer. I just want to say when you accept Jesus, you are granted the gift of the Holy Spirit. God speaks to people through the Holy Spirit. By accepting Jesus, you become "born again" in the spirit. I know this will not change anyone's mind but belief in God is far more than believing words written thousands of years ago. This is all I will post on the matter but I will add a little scripture that explains what I am talking about.
I think a lot of respondents to this thread have avoided pointing out it's a thinly veiled attempt to depict gay marriage supporters as hypocrites or flip-floppers. This could have all been handled twenty years ago; heck 25 years ago if Herbert Walker had any bipartisan instincts or the social idealism of his own dad. The same party that produced Thomas Dewey, Nelson Rockefeller, Henry Cabot Lodge, Everett Dirksen and John Warner ceded the rhetorical high ground on social issues; and their known benefactors, consolidated and reconstituted evangelical churches, are getting pilloried as the cultural obstructionists they fought to become for the last two generations.
I wasn't trying to imply anyone is a "flip-flopper". I have not called out anyone in this thread for changing their minds and will not. It was not very long ago that the prevailing stance on gay marriage in this country was to be against it. That has obviously changed drastically in just the last few years. Many people have obviously changed their minds on the matter. I was curious who has changed their mind on this forum. I thought the statistics would show that more had changed their mind but given the liberal majority here I am not super surprised at the poll results. It wouldn't surprise me if some people who selected they always supported gay marriage have actually changed their minds but may be embarrassed that the believed the way they once did. Their is nothing wrong with changing a stance on anything. Furthermore, I am sure the Democrats would love nothing more than for the Republican party to get out of the social issues because they know Christians are a big voting block and they would no longer support the Republicans if they dropped it from their platform. I will never vote for a candidate who supports abortion or gay marriage. I have a much stronger stance on abortion than gay marriage because killing babies is just wrong and gay issues do not really bother me near as much but I still am against it.
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