Gay Marriage and Senator Danforth

[roquat]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 3:59pm

I urge everyone to read the chapter on gay marriage in former Senator John Danforth's "Faith and Politics." He's a Christian conservative three-term Republican who comes to some startling conclusions about many social issues (for example, he passionately supports stem-cell research.) On gay marriage, he acknowledges that he never supported gay rights (including nondiscrimination policies) until a delegation of gay people came to Washington to meet with him. He disagrees with the Massachusetts court ruling permitting same-sex marriage (somewhat naively believing that "society might have worked out this issue naturally in time without judicial activism") but supports committed same-sex unions and fiercely opposes the Federal Marriage Amendment. ("The Constitution defines the relationship of the government to its people. It does not make social policy. When it attempted to do so with Prohibition, it was a notorious failure.") Senator Danforth may be a career politician with a rhetorical style of writing, but his closing analysis is surprisingly sharp--"Calling it 'defense of marriage' makes it sound like something loftier than gay bashing. But it is gay bashing." It seems to me that this is the kind of questioning, skeptical mind we need to win if we are to make any headway on gay marriage. Not the friends who already support us, and not the screaming evangelicals (who, despite what they may believe, are another minority.)

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 4:48pm

This man was the Senator of my childhood. My mother was a strong supporter and friend. I am happy to read this, but I can never forget that this was the man who brought us Clarence Thomas.

Posted: 11/14/06 at 6:40pm

(Yawning) Here we go again
Updated On: 11/14/06 at 06:40 PM

[kjklo]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 6:46pm

RTfan, if you don't like or are bored by discussions of gay issues then this emphatically is not the place for you. I'm surprised you haven't figured that out by now.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 6:46pm

RT

I say this as a Catholic . I suggest you change your avatar to something non secular and do the same with what you have underneath. I would also suggest you refrain from putting your views ( which I find offensive - I am straight) as you are simply asking for trouble . Many times I am not happy with the religious bias that sometimes rears its ugly head but 2 wrongs do not make a right .

Take my advise in the spirit it is intended

Updated On: 11/14/06 at 06:46 PM

[lildogs]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 6:53pm

Mr Roxy, we hardly knew ye.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 6:58pm

We aim to please

RT must have a death wish. At least Dakin did not have that avatar & the statement underneath. You have to give him that

[PalJoey]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 7:34pm

That's because Dakin was a real conservative poster. RTfan is just an annoying sock puppet pretending to be a Christian. But he's obviously not a REAL Christian because his postings would make Jesus projectile vomit.

Updated On: 11/14/06 at 07:34 PM

[mattnyc2]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 8:00pm

RTfan why don't you go google naked pictures of Richard Thomas and leave everyone the hell alone.

[DG]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 9:13pm

You know, if RT can make one little comment and engender such emotional reaction, the foundation of conviction here is a little rocky.

It's not like this perception isn't out there - and in abundance in some areas.

But that's why it needs to keep getting brought up. Eventually, maybe they won't yawn, but rather engage in rational discourse.