Marriage by Any Other Name

[torasama.livejournal.com]

While a rose may be a rose by any other name, the same does not hold true of marriage. Marriage is marriage. Civil unions are not equal to marriage, both in society's eyes and the law's - couples joined under a civil union do not have the same rights as a married couple. Denoting long-term, committed same-sex relations as 'lesser' opens a legal Pandora's box and provides a venue for continued discrimination, by applying a different set of rights to opposite-sex and same-sex couples.

To deny a civil marriage to a same-sex couple is blatant discrimination per the 14th Amendment. Just as the anti-interracial marriage arguement that all races had the "same right" to marry others of their own race didn't work in Loving vs. Virginia, the arguement that homosexuals have the "same right" to marry people of the opposite sex doesn't work, either.

Comments

[torasama.livejournal.com]

Well, the point of all that was that blacks didn't force the proposition through, and that the Mormon church did considerably more than their legal share to help it.

I'm aware of the Joseph Smith migration story. Yeah, it's not fair to judge the entire religion based on one person of that faith.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

True....but so did Rick Warren. I see no condemnations of Mr. Extremist-masquerading-as-Mainstream, now do you? It seems religious fuckwittery is only worthy of condemnation when minority religions do it, and I dislike that intensely, coming as I do from a Baptist background.

And yes, that is not fair. That kind of bad judgment is all too common, unfortunately.

[torasama.livejournal.com]

I see no condemnations of Mr. Extremist-masquerading-as-Mainstream, now do you?

What? Where've you been? That was a large part of why the LBGT community got so indignant that Rick Warren would deliver Obama's inaguration speech.

It seems religious fuckwittery is only worthy of condemnation when minority religions do it

Even with all the atheist vs. christian wank on the Internet? Larger religions get their share, too.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

I was part of it, and made quite a stink on several forums and offline as well that a hatemonger who considers gays equal to animal buggerers should have no place at it. I meant outside the GLTBQ community, in the larger Left Wing. They said not one damned word.

Personally, I think the atheist v. Christian wank is a bit tiring, and I find that Richard Dawkins is a much more stirring read than most Christian authors...and I'm a proud Baptist. But unfortunately, many atheists have developed an intolerance equal to Christians, and many Christians aren't willing to accept atheism as valid.

[torasama.livejournal.com]

(How do we inevitably get into religious discussions? :P)

Outside the LBGT(QAIAP) community, no one much cares, which is sad. But then, the US is a largely Christian society, and with his book (http://www.bestwebbuys.com/The_Purpose_Driven_Life-ISBN_9780310276999.html?isrc=b-search) and idiotic touting of "Christophobia (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/24/rick-warren-accuses-gays_n_153390.html)" and hate speech (by his own critics), I can see why that's so.

Same here. Atheist and Christians often do themselved what they accuse the other of (discrimination, intolerance, hate, what have you). It's gotten almost to the point of gang warfare in their verbal attacks on each other, which is counter-productive and idiotic at best.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

We inevitably get into this because the Conservative movement in the US is a real true Political Religion.

And yes, I think that the atheist-Christian gang warfare has gotten to the point that if I were a drinking man I'd have a drinking game to go along with the arguments. I see them as pointless, even if I am a Baptist, the only sure confirmation will be once we're all dead. While on Earth...why fight this endless battle with no victor?

[torasama.livejournal.com]

Obama's inaguration speechprayer

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

I knew what you meant, it was no biggie.

[torasama.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but if I didn't correct it myself someone was bound to come and snark :P