Marriage vs Civil Union (not the question you'd think)- Page 2

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 4:27pm

Maybe for you, Diva. But not for me and I'm guessing not for the countless straight people who want to get married and not civil unioned.

Updated On: 6/2/09 at 04:27 PM

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 4:34pm

JAG,

I was just answering your question about who came up with that awful 're-branding'... I hate it.


Everything is ready for the wedding
The Choir's been rehearsing for a week
The Minister is standing in the pulpit
But the Groom it seems is playing hide and seek
While here I am standing, waiting starry-eyed
When will I ever get to be a bride

I wanna get married
I wanna get spliced
I long to be knotted and see my friends potted
I wanna be confettied and riced

They say that married life
Is what one makes it
I'm sure I've got what it takes
But no one takes it

I wanna get settled
Crawl into a shell
I wanna start cooing and spend my life doing
The things that mom and pop used to spell

Give me a cottage small
Where the railroad never stops
I wanna sleep in pyjama tops
I wanna get married

I wanna get married
I wanna get spliced
I long to be knotted and see my friends potted
I wanna be confettied and riced

Let others play the field
I'd rather choose one
I want to own a twin set
And only use one

I wanna get settled
I wanna play house
Though men are all no good, they say it feels so good
To have your own particular louse

They say that magic thrill
When they play "Here Comes The Bride"
Works better than Coke vanilla light
I wanna get married

Updated On: 6/2/09 at 04:34 PM

[StockardFan]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 5:21pm

PJ, I want you to be able to get married too.

I just don't understand what people have against it in the first place. I mean I hear what they are saying, but I just don't get people that feel that way.

[danmag]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 5:25pm

Oh, Stockard. I was talking to two of my neighbors last weekend who are completely against gay marriage. I just couldn't even make any headway in arguing with them about it (and believe me, I certainly tried). They staunchly believe that allowing gay people to marry will lead to the downfall of the entire civilization. It was incredibly frustrating to listen to them - their ignorance was just horrible.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 5:29pm

My answer to people like that is that it's divorce, not gay marriage, that has led to the downfall of civilization. If they want to protect marriage, make divorce illegal.

[StockardFan]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 5:34pm

Good point......

The commercials in NY have been fast and furious for gay marriage in the past few weeks, and surprisingly I haven't seen anything anti. I don't understand how people can watch these commercials and not logically think that gay marriage should be legal.

[JustAGuy]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 5:46pm

Sorry, Diva. I thought I'd crossed over to the twilight zone. I was pretty sure that you were on the "marriage" side of things.

[tazber]

Posted: 6/2/09 at 7:26pm

As do I JAG. I agree with Camille in *theory*, that is if this were a perfect world and marriage wasn't inexorably tied up with religion.

But it's not a perfect world and I will fight with everything I have until gays can enjoy the same right to wed as everyone else.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 3:22am

Well, I was one of the last people to get married legally. We got married election day and had the Wedding certificate in the mail at 4:45 pm.

So, now we are stuck in a limbo, a minority within a minority.

The bottom line is that EVERYONE should have the same rights, period. It's so simple, yet so many people have been brainwashed into thinking that 'the gays' would destroy everything.

How is that even possible? Would straight people stop having sex just because I married my husband?

No.

So why do they use procreation as the reasoning behind their 'Family Values'? Straight people are still going to have sex. NOTHING is going to change for them. NOTHING. It won't affect them in ANY way.

Not one state where gay marriage is legal has fallen apart. The earth hasn't swallowed them up. NOTHING NEGATIVE HAPPENED.

So, WHY do they continue to torment us? I don't care what they are doing behind their closed doors, and they should keep their noses out of what I do behind mine.

I guess some people are just so miserable with their own lives, that they have to take it out on others.

[StockardFan]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 7:24am

"So why do they use procreation as the reasoning behind their 'Family Values'? Straight people are still going to have sex. NOTHING is going to change for them. NOTHING. It won't affect them in ANY way."

"So, WHY do they continue to torment us? I don't care what they are doing behind their closed doors, and they should keep their noses out of what I do behind mine."


Diva, this is exactly what I try to explain to people. Why? What do you care and how is it going to affect you? (not you-you, but people that oppose gay marriage). I mean WTF?

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 7:34am

I think it's fairly simple actually. And what's tricky is that our opponents are half telling the truth (which is almost always a powerful position to take).

Equal marriage rights threaten the PRIVILEGE of straight-only marriage. And if you link that with some usually vague notion of religious incorrectness, ta da . . . !

Just as no white person probably really thought they'd be harmed if they drank from a water fountain after a black person had, most gay-marriage opponents seldom seem to really believe their marriage will be effected in any way. Which is why no one ever explains that stance satisfactorily; they just spin off into talk of how "all civilizations" have always felt the same way, and stuff about bestiality and marrying toasters.
Updated On: 6/3/09 at 07:34 AM

[madbrian]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 9:23am

Marrying a toaster is ridiculous. On the other hand, I really, Really, REALLY love my central air conditioner.

[danmag]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 9:26am

LOL, Reg. In talking to my neighbors, of course the first thing they mentioned was allowing gay marriage would lead to people being allowed to get married to their dogs.

I mean, really?????? That's REALLY a legitimate concern?? I truly wanted to hit them both in the head with a bat.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 9:35am

Danmag, tell them yes, that is a legitimate concern: exactly the same way allowing women to vote led to the possiblity of hamsters in the voting booth.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 9:43am

Danmag, I would ask them why marrying a dog is where their minds leap. Ask them who they are hanging around with that dog-marrying is such a pressing concern.

[madbrian]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 9:45am

The talk about gay marriage leading to the downfall of society as we know it, that's all nonsense. However, I think there are legitimate questions regarding the separation of the religious and civil that needs to be addressed. For example, most priests and ministers are also justices of the peace, so that when they marry people, it is both a religious and civil ceremony. While I disagree with the religious argument against gay marriage, I do respect their right to have that opinion, and I don't think priests or ministers should be compelled to officiate a gay wedding, even in the civil sense. I think there are concerns, probably misguided, in the religious community that legalizing gay marriage would require them to give religious recognition. I think it needs to be made clear that there will be zero impact to the religious community when civil marriage becomes law.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 9:54am

Madbrian, I think you give people too much credit. I think MOST people know this would have zero impact on the religious community at large.

Look at it this way - a Catholic priest can't be compelled to marry just anyone. There are classes and all sorts of hoops to jump through. How is this any different?

WILL there probably be a handful of gay douchebags who try and force a catholic priest or a southern baptist minister to marry them just for the sake of being douchebags? Probably. But this "fear" of being forced to officiate weddings that go against their beliefs is just a manufactured and insincere way to drum up sympathy from the "the poor Christians are so persecuted" crowd.
Updated On: 6/3/09 at 09:54 AM

[danmag]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 10:00am

Re: Marrying a dog. I would rather they just admit they are homophobes than try to put THAT out as their reasoning as to why they are against gay marriage.

And these are educated, normal-seeming people. Not toothless hillbillies drinking moonshine out of a still. That's what made it all the more depressing.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 10:03am

I would rather they just admit they are homophobes than try to put THAT out as their reasoning as to why they are against gay marriage.

As would I. At least it would be honest and not completely disingenuous, like it is when they talk about dogs and toasters, or how marriage is for having children (but have no qualms with straight people who can't procreate getting married).

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 10:08am

Danmag, just ask them to move.

[danmag]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 10:13am

I will! They can sell their house to me and the dog I am marrying.

There goes the neighborhood...

[toanythingtaboo 2]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 10:14am

When people use the whole 'Whats next? Marrying dogs?!' argument I just deflate inside.

Equating an entire group of people to dogs. Nice.

I wonder if they'd say such things so nonchalantly if it were about Black people? The initial response would be 'Ohhh no, of course not! We're not racist! Thats so wrong!'.

Ugh.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 10:14am

I tried to marry Kringas, but he told me that he doesn't need a piece of paper to prove his devotion to me. Awwww.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 10:18am

The simple truth is that it's still okay to hate gay people. It's still okay to think of them as lesser, and say so.

One more parallel to the civil rights stuggles in the 60s...when people were vocal and not reviled for their racism.

We are the boogeymen of today.

(boogeypeople?)

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/3/09 at 10:23am

Equating an entire group of people to dogs.

I think it's less about equating people to dogs and more about suggesting that if you'll f*ck and member or your own sex, you'll f*ck just about anything.