Same sex marriage - why such a big deal

[Bo D]

In this day and age many "straight" people are choosing not to marry because they can get most or all of the benefits of a married couple.

Can they file a joint tax return?

[Anne]

No they can't and neither can cohabiting adults either as far as I know. Maybe that is something that should be fixed like the insurance of significant others or life partners. If marriage is so irrelevant, why don't we just pass a law stating that life partners (feel free to fill in any appropriate term) can be legally entitled to the benefits of a married couple. That would fix things for a lot of people, not just gays, like the elderly couple down the street from me who will not marry because she will lose her insurance. It seems to me IMO that there are many ways to fix the situation without getting into the traditional marriage fight.

[dan foster]

Talk about a small minority of the population taking up a huge amount of resources on this debate.  What's the big deal.  Let them have their 'marriage'....who is it going to hurt.  I don't understand the massive opposition.  If the homophobes are worried about righteous people's exposure to homosexuality....we are all certainly being overexposed by this continuing debate.  They've wasted more tax dollars and resources debating and fighting it than it will ever cost.

I do not condone homosexuality, in fact it makes me want to puke.  However I still don't see what the big deal is.  It is their lives.  I'm sick of having it shoved in my face with this debate.

I think its the right-wing, married women.  They fear that if their men see openly gay relationships, they will lose all those guys to another (vis a vis, Larry Craig, et al).  Or, it could be that right-wing married women secretly are so drawn to other women, an openly accepting society for gays would lead them into the arms of another woman.  Either way, its obvious that right-wingers are so insecure in their own sexuality, they will switch sides at the drop of a hat (or the drop of the same sex's pants).

However, I think it is a big deal.  The state should not be sanctioning same sex marriages anymore than they should be sanctioning heterosexual marriages.  The right's argument is that they want marriage protected by law and their definition of marriage is solely on the basis of a religious one.  So, marriage IS a religious institution the state has no business ESTABLISHING. 

So, get the state out of marriage, NOW.  Two adults should enter a Civil Union; a contract with all the legal rights afforded it (property, visitation, etc).  Those goofballs that want a chruch wedding, jump over a broom, or kill a chicken and drink its blood should have nothing to do with the rest of us; the state.  No legal recognition of marriage, period

[mcgonser]

Dan, what would the states do without the money from the marriage liscense sales. It is also a way to help keep a census of your state. Who the states decide to sell these liscenses too is their business. Man without this money they might have to put up a lemonade stand or something. Shame on you!!!!!!!!!

[LOsborne]

Dan, what would the states do without the money from the marriage liscense sales.

Perhaps the states could replace this income with incorporation fees. Or limited liability partnership fees. I find it hard to believe government would become impoverished if it couldn't sell marriage licenses. They could always insist that we buy the equivalent of dog licenses for our children.

[Ma and Pa]

Maybe those kid licenses could REPLACE dog licenses; a lot of dogs I know are better behaved than many children!

Welcome to our little corner of the asylum, LOsborne. 

[LOsborne]

Welcome to our little corner of the asylum, LOsborne. 

Thank you so much. Tell me, I believe I have found the area dedicated to screaming and hair-pulling, but where are the refreshments?

[Locutus]

Right here:

http://theunknownzone.us/smf/index.php?topic=2470.0

 

[dan foster]

Dan, what would the states do without the money from the marriage liscense sales. It is also a way to help keep a census of your state. Who the states decide to sell these liscenses too is their business. Man without this money they might have to put up a lemonade stand or something. Shame on you!!!!!!!!!

I guess you missed that whole Civil Unions contract thing.  You will still need a license for those and there will be many more of those than the current goofy marriage licenses.  Geez.

[pariann]

What's the difference?  Sounds to me like a civil union would be exactly the same as a marriage.......so why would there be more of them than marriages?  People marry out of commitment.  A civil union would still be a commitment.   So....what is the difference?

[Henry Hawk]

I disagree henry.  I am Christian....have been all 55 years of my life.  I see nothing wrong with 2 guys wanting to get "married".  they are not hurting anyone, they just want to be happy like all "in Love" couples and unite themselves as one.  What is so wrong with that?

Well, I'm not going to preach or pull out any verses.....maybe I'm just old fashion...but, those words in the Bible DO  mean something to me....God is clear about what a marriage SHOULD be....and I believe Him.

I think IF we would follow the word of God, the way He means it, we would NOT have the troubles we are facing in this world...such as divorces, drugs, child abuse and on and on.

Hey, like i have said before, I do NOT have ANY hatred towards two people of the same sex who "love" each other...I just feel that..marriage IS a sacred event, between a man and a woman....period....not going to change my mind about this....EVER.

[LOsborne]

... a civil union would be exactly the same as a marriage.......so why would there be more of them than marriages?

Because civil unions would not exclude same sex contracts. Therefor, the customer pool to which these licenses are marketed is larger.

[pariann]

Well you can call it a civil union, but ask two people who are involved in the same sex union what they call it, and they will say they are 'married'.  I hear Ellen saying it all the time.  She calls Portia her wife........wonder what Portia calls Ellen?

[Palehorse]

Well, I'm not going to preach or pull out any verses.....maybe I'm just old fashion...but, those words in the Bible DO  mean something to me....God is clear about what a marriage SHOULD be....and I believe Him.

I think IF we would follow the word of God, the way He means it, we would NOT have the troubles we are facing in this world...such as divorces, drugs, child abuse and on and on.

Hey, like i have said before, I do NOT have ANY hatred towards two people of the same sex who "love" each other...I just feel that..marriage IS a sacred event, between a man and a woman....period....not going to change my mind about this....EVER.

Careful Hank. . . Doesn't that same book require a wife to be subservient to her husband? That is going to get you crossways of a majority of the females I know! 

[mcgonser]

Welcome Back PH