MLAM said:
...on what I think about people who believe being gay...which you can (and many do) keep to themselves, is comparable to being Black. It is a comparison only the stupid patronizing and WHITE would make....so I ignored all that.
Touch a nerve?
The point is simply that people are who they are and there are much more important things to judge a person on than the colour of their skin or their sexual orientation - to pre-judge so is discrimination, plain and simple.
Further,
a person shouldn't have to hide who and what they are just because of bigots of any persuasion. Not today and not in our society. Too many people have fought too long and too hard to just say "fuck 'em" to the next group that are being discriminated against. It's an insult to the progress and sacrifices we've made.
MLAM said:
Wrong. Every Civil union initiative *I* am familiar with granted FULL LEGAL RIGHTS to civil unions. Some in fact removed the concept of "marriage" from the state legally...essentially saying that insofar as the state is concerned, marriage itself no longer existed...ONLY civil unions. That wasn't good enough for gays. So fuck em.
Your lack of knowledge on this subject is frightening. The
majority of gays want the same marriage rights (legal, familial, benefits, etc.) as others, nothing more or less. (And yes, there is a vocal minority that may not be to everyone's tastes in how they present their demands, but that doesn't take away from their right to basic human rights, nor should it.)
What is currently offerred in most of the "civil union" initiatives do not grant that - look it up. This includes benefits and distribution of assets in the event of death, custody of children and anything legal that has to do with "marriage" (including shield laws that protect one from testifying against one's spouse), because the laws on the books only take into account MARRIAGE, not civil unions, etc. Unfortunately, there are numerous precedents on this point already. Do some homework before you make such unfounded sweeping statements.
In addition, the notion that "marriage is a sacred religious bond" has been debunked by the fact that one can get a judge/justice of the peace to marry you in a quickie ceremony, not to mention the incredibly high divorce rates. And don't even get me started on Vegas drive-through wedding "chapels"...
MLAM said:
Sort of like comparing being gay to being Black, but since I am beating you aren't Black...you don't think of it as insensitive...
I am well aware of the unique plight of African-Americans and the sensitivities that must come from that. But there is a parallel between the two if you would open yourself up to seeing it.
I also knew what I posted would get you wound up, which is why I wrote it. I was trying to elicit some semblance of empathy in you, but it's obvious that you are completely biased against gays. Which is your personal right, as barbaric as I may find it.
Fighting for one's rights has gone on for time immemorial - my point is we should be beyond arguing about such basic matters at this point in the U.S. and Canada. Inherent rights should be there for all and the Church should have no say in the matter. We are supposedly a constitutional democracy with inalienable rights protected by our government, not a theocracy run by a vocal religious minority.
MLAM said:
Are you retarded? Are you REALLY claiming you've never heard anyone gay persons mock peoples religious convictions?? Don't be an asshole....
No, but apparently you are. Because you have not provided one shred of proof in any of your arguments. It is almost completely based on visceral emotion.
I have never heard a spokesperson for gay rights publicly state anything of the sort. They're not idiots and know how to lobby. Now, as for those gays that make the same kind of emotional arguments that you are, on the other hand... <wink>
Seriously though, I think you should take your own advice about not being an asshole...
MLAM said:
And I'd guess you are not a particularly religiously convicted person. So what?
The people have spoken. Gays would HAVE all the rights they sought if they hadn't pushed the issue. Fuck em.
My spirituality does not include judging people for anything other than their character - how well they treat their families and others, what they do for their community and the world-at-large, etc. Things like race and sexual orientation (between consenting adults) don't factor into my thought process.
I also don't believe in slavish devotion to any book (a piece of fiction, at that) that was conceived of and written hundreds of years ago based on the oral histories of mostly elitist white men who had their own agenda of fear and contral and that were passed on in a narrow-minded belief system of a cold and brutal world. And I certainly wouldn't use my or anyone elses' interpretation of that work as a basis for being what amounts to being a racist/sexist/intolerant. That sort of fascist/fundamentalist mindset is eerily similar to what certain individuals use as justification for wonderful contributions to society like honour killings and terrorist acts.
Quite frankly, I have to question your so-called religious convictions. You hang out on an escort review board, posting many things that are less than Christian-spiritual and take umbrage at anything remotely anti-black / African-American (as your rant against LL showed), yet can't see the hypocrisy in being insensitively anti-gay. I could be wrong, but you appear to be selectively fervent.
And even if you are as devout as your purport, your religious beliefs should not trump my (and others, including gays) rights under law. Again, I believe strongly in the separation of Church and State...
As I hinted at in my initial "get your attention and try and tweak your sensibilities" post - what would your response be to blacks and others who have had to go through civil rights movements or suffrage who dealt with the racists who said that "negroes (or women or insert any other minority here) should know their place and not push the issue" of civil rights?
I doubt you would be so flippantly dismissive as to say "fuck 'em".