First, I have to thank lesfriendly.com for directing me to these ridiculous Top 10 Reasons for Opposing Gay Marriage.
This topic seems appropriate considering the Vermont Senate and the New Hampshire House BOTH passed Gay Marriage bills for their respective states this week!
Anyway, the homophobes who first screamed "Let the People Decide!" all across the nation as LGBT lives were put up for a VOTE via constitutional amendments to make sure our relationships are never recognized are now screaming foul that the PEOPLE'S Representatives are looking like they will pass laws.
The "Top 10" reasons to oppose gay marriage are so stupid, it actually makes gay marriage look good.
In a nutshell, the ten arguments are as follows (comments in italic):
Argument #1.
It will destroy the institution of marriage and lead to massive numbers of children born out of wedlock.
I don't get it. How exactly does expanding marriage destroy it? Right now, same sex couples with children are technically "single" parents... but those children still have TWO loving parents, even if the state refuses to grant them any of the rights their heterosexual peers possess.
Argument #2
The introduction of legalized gay marriages will lead directly to polygamy, incest, bestiality and other alternatives to one-man, one-woman unions.
This is the old man-on-dog argument. Marriage is a special contract between two unrelated people. The argument is that if you say it can be between two men or two women, then you open the door to EVERYTHING. That is not true. Marriage would still be between two unrelated people. Why unrelated? Genetics will tell you that. But gay people can't reproduce you say! Ummm, ever heard of a sperm bank? What about the sister of a gay male partner agreeing to donate her egg so that her brother and his husband can have a child? I personally know people who have done both. So you rule out polygamy and adult incest marriages. Just because you need help to reproduce does not make the reproduction less valid. As for the arguments that gay marriage leads to marrying children and pets, neither children nor pets are legally able to make binding contracts or decisions for themselves. They are not able to consent to a marriage, so those two scenarios are also red herrings.
Argument #3
With the family out of the way, all rights and privileges of marriage will accrue to gay and lesbian partners without the legal entanglements and commitments heretofore associated with it.
That's preciously the point? How is this an argument AGAINST gay marriage? :)
Argument #4
With the legalization of homosexual marriage, every public school in the nation will be required to teach that this perversion is the moral equivalent of traditional marriage between a man and a woman.
I think moral lessons are better left to church and home than public school. There's no reason for public schools to do anything than acknowledge the existence of different types of families, without judgment.
Argument #5
From that point forward, courts will not be able to favor a traditional family involving one man and one woman over a homosexual couple in matters of adoption. Children will be placed in homes with parents representing only one sex on an equal basis with those having a mom and a dad.
Wow, end discrimination, and you can't legally discriminate! Glad you get it!
Argument #6
Foster-care parents will be required to undergo “sensitivity training” to rid themselves of bias in favor of traditional marriage, and will have to affirm homosexuality in children and teens.
Not being a foster parent, I have no idea what kind of training they have to go through. However, I do not see a problem in being trained on how to handle a gay teenager, especially when gay teenagers have such a higher percentage of suicide than heterosexual teens. Yeah, I can see how letting gay children or teens know that they aren't disgusting, hated by God, etc. would be a BAD thing. *sigh*
Argument #7
How about the impact on Social Security if there are millions of new dependents that will be entitled to survivor benefits? It will amount to billions of dollars on an already overburdened system. And how about the cost to American businesses? Unproductive costs mean fewer jobs for those who need them. Are state and municipal governments to be required to raise taxes substantially to provide health insurance and other benefits to millions of new “spouses and other dependents”?
This is the lamest of the arguments. Gay people pay social security taxes just like anyone else. Our families SHOULD be entitled to the same benefits. Studies have shown that where same-sex couple benefits are concerned, the cost to localities is minimal. This argument relies on the assumption that same-gender couples are beneath contempt.
Argument #8
Marriage among homosexuals will spread throughout the world, just as pornography did after the Nixon Commission declared obscene material “beneficial” to mankind.11 Almost instantly, the English-speaking countries liberalized their laws against smut. America continues to be the fountainhead of filth and immorality, and its influence is global.
Considering that South AFRICA offers gay marriage, along with a good portion of Western Europe, America is already behind the curve. If we do set an example, though, that is not a bad thing.
Argument #9
Perhaps most important, the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be severely curtailed. The family has been God’s primary vehicle for evangelism since the beginning.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ says nothing about Gay Marriage. Christ himself never mentioned the concept, let alone condemned or endorsed it. This makes the assumption that gay marriage is not compatible with Christianity. Again, a falsehood. Anyone doubting this needs to come visit All Saints Episcopal Church for more examples than you can shake a stick at of committed same-sex couples brimming with enthusiasm and passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You might actually win back some lapsed Christians who think the church is full of nothing but right wing bigots.
Argument #10
The culture war will be over, and I fear, the world may soon become “as it was in the days of Noah” (Matthew 24:37, NIV). This is the climactic moment in the battle to preserve the family, and future generations hang in the balance.
Raise your hands if you think the "culture war" ending would be a GOOD thing! It's kind of funny how underlying these arguments is that if gay marriage is OK, then seemingly heterosexual men will drop their wives and take up with each other in DROVES. Now I enjoy same-gender lovin' as much as any gay man, but I fail to see how heterosexual men would suddenly give up the va-jay-jay for man-on-man lovin'! No one chooses their sexuality, one way or the other. And for the beleaguered bisexual, gay marriage would give them two perfectly valid options for building a life with the person of their choosing. No longer would society's pressure be exclusively on the bisexual settling down with an opposite gender spouse.
So those are the Top 10 Arguments Against Gay Marriage. It just goes to show how far ignorance and fear can take a voter.
