I’ve been thinking much about the gay marriage issue over the past 24 hours; have held several discussions; etc. Plus, as opposed to last night, I’m not exhausted. My mind is working competently.
What I really wanted to say—what I really want to say—is that there is no longer a viable justification to oppose gay marriage None whatsoever. Let’s break down what we hear …
1. Heterosexual marriage is the bedrock of society: Fact—More than half of American heterosexual marriages end in divorce. More. Than. Half. If that’s a bedrock, well, it’s a joke. Our society’s bedrock is decency and compassion and open-mindedness. That’s not liberal blather—it’s truth. We tolerate one another, even when it sucks. Even when it’s painful. Uncomfortable.
2. God’s will: If you believe homosexual marriage is against God’s will, well, that’s your belief, and Mazel Tov. But it has no bearing on governmental rulings and laws. If you don’t want to marry gays in your church, don’t. But that does not impact what two consenting adults do elsewhere—in their own church, or before a judge.
3. Marriage is the union of two who will procreate: A. Gays can procreate, though not in the oft-thought of way. B. Many hetero couples can’t procreate—does that mean they shouldn’t be allowed to marry.
4. (And I heard this on Larry King last night) If we have gay marriage, little boys and girls will grow up wondering whether they should be with boys or girls: My reaction: So?
I am a 37-year-old father of two. If my daughter and son grow up to be gay, nothing changes. Nothing. I love them the same. I embrace them the same. I encourage them the same. I hope they wind up with nice partners; hope they have kids; hope they enjoy their lives and live with decency and goodness.
There’s this mindset among conservatives … this warped, “What if my child falls under the gay influence … blah, blah, blah.” Like being gay is a disease or an infliction. Being gay is … being. It’s a part of who you are, along with 8,000,000,000 other factors. There’s nothing wrong with it; nothing devilish or sinful.
Frankly, I’m sick and tired of the so-called moralists acting so immorally about this. If you really love God, you love—period. You don’t discriminate and reserve your love for those who share your way of living. I remember, back in the early 1990s, living in Tennessee and having Christians tell me they loved me, yet not my religion. It was the standard bullshit line—love the sinner, not the sin. Yet they didn’t love me. They were disgusted by me, just as they’re disgusted by homosexuals.
I am a straight man standing up against bigotry, and I hope others—straight and gay—take the path, too. I wasn’t around for the civil rights battles of the 1950s and 60s, but I’m here for this.
We all are.
