Friday, November 7, 2008
Politics / Rolen Two Steps Forward, One Step Back for Gay Americans
Posted by Brent Rolen on Fri, Nov 7, 2008 at 5:50 AM
Comments (8)
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Constitutions are designed to GRANT rights, not restrict them. People who are willing to amend their "sacred" documents are just afraid that over time, social mores will change to where their opinion is in the minority. That time is not yet for same-sex marriages, unfortunately.
I could accept losing a battle over whether a legislature passes a law based on the current political climate and "will" of the people, because laws can be changed and/or overturned. But changing the rulebook in the middle of the game pisses me off.
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Well said Brent! I cannot help but feel that the motivations for such laws and regulations are hateful and totally against what the core beliefs of most religions teach- to love thy neighbor and treat each other as you too wish to be treated!
Prop 8's passage, along with similar measures passed in the other states, is an American tragedy. This civil rights movement is obviously facing similar setbacks to what African Americans experienced in the Jim Crow South--2nd class citizenship supported by nothing less than bigotry and hatred. I have optimism that these laws will be torn down, one at a time, but we are in for a long haul. Our lifetime? Let's hope so.
The time, effort, energy and money people put into defeating prop 8 out here in San Francisco was staggering. The disappointment even more so.
Me and my patner's April plans have hit a roadblock. Looking to CT and MA now.
It's futile reasoning with religious people. If you can't beat them, you might as well join them.
Let's protect the sanctity of marriage in Tennessee. I have a lot of work ahead of me to flesh this out, but I'd like a ballot measure to constitutionally ban divorce in the state of Tennessee. Think about it. Which Tennessee church would be willing to be the first to stand up and argue that Tennessee should protect people's right to divorce and their right to destroy families? What group will defend lawyers' rights to make money off destroying marriages and the lives of their children? They'll have a lot of explaining to do in their defense of divorce and soiling the sanctity of the institution of marriage while I campaign across the state to protect marriage from the evils of divorce.
And while I'm at it, perhaps we should revisit protecting religious choices. Afterall, why do we have laws that protect a person's right to worship false Gods? If we want to protect people from hell-bound lifestyles, there is only one law in the land that paves the widest road to hell: the protection of religious choices. No other law sends foster kids to hell quicker than the law protecting the choice of foster parents to inflict heathen Gods upon foster children. Who will be the first church to stand up and defend people's right to worship Hindu Monkey Gods? Which group will be the first to stand up and say it's OK to protect the choice to invite children into Hell?
THe ACLU doesn't count ;) Now that just rolled right off the tongue. I'm liking this already. 2012 here I come!
I hurt so much for you Tuesday night. And hurt for myself. My wife and I were able to marry, without getting anyone's approval, for about 100 bucks. We had been together far less time than you both. And no one (sans family) gave a crap we were doing so. But GOD SAVE US if two men, or two women for that matter, want to show their love for each other, show their commitment for each other, and have the same rights as Beth and I! SAVE US ALL NOW! It's disgusting that 40 years after Martin Luther King finally opened some eyes to race, that there can't be some tolerance to sexuality. I know for a fact I never chose to be straight. And I know how many friends I have had that are gay, and struggled for YEARS lying to themselves and family, trying desperately to be the "norm". It's rediculous and discriminatory and borderline unlawful how we oppress gays rights. It's simple. If you took 4 people, 2 men and 2 women. Married the two men to the women, no one could have any say otherwise. There's no screening (aside from a blood test in some states) and no higher order as to which couples can be married. But if you take those EXACT 4 people, and swap partners, marrying the men to men and women to women, all of the sudden, it's AGAINST THE LAW????? That's simple discrimination.
Last thing...when we were in the 80s, and AIDS was coming on the scene. The white moral majority blamed gay sexuality, promiscuity and general bad morals for it. Now, when a gay couple wants to settle down, have a family, be that moral "standard", well, they aren't good enough for that either! F-Off!
"Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."
I'm an African-American, and I AM speaking up: discriminatory measures against gay citizens are unjust.
Mr. Rolen's comments are as powerful as they are valid. As one who was once ignorant, I testify that change within is the only true change. Don't play the blame game, people -- straight or gay. If everybody ain't stepping forward then we're all just steppin' and fetchin'.
I'm an African-American, and I AM speaking up. Support the rights of gay citizens. Support the rights of all citizens.
It is indeed a wet blanket on such an exciting time and important step forward for our country to see anti-gay measures passed in these states.
It is easy for me to ask Brent and other members of the gay community to have faith and believe that the election of Barack Obama is telling of a maturity that we've been able to achieve collectively.
That perhaps one day, hopefully soon, this last great form of popular ignorance will pass. It's easy for me to say as I've been able to reap the many rewards our society allows my family while openly denying gay members of our society the same respect.
It is not fair, it is ignorant and it is wrong. How can we say marriage is so sacred and have the so many marriages end in divorce? How can we say that a man and a woman are the only ones able to raise a family when there are so many unwanted children, so many abused children, so many children needing love in this world?
From a group of people who seem to value limited government, opponents of gay rights sure like to have government involved much to deeply in our personal lives.
If we are to believe that we are made in the image of god, that god loves us all and has an active design our lives, why can't we accept that homosexuality is natural, normal and acceptable? That it is all part of gods will and plan?
I realized, thankfully early in life, that it is not a choice, it can't be, as nobody would choose to accept being a pariah, cut off from family and the ability to love as openly as heterosexuals.
Nobody would choose to have their very lives threatened. Nobody would choose to be denied those ideals which we as American's are supposed to hold so dear, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Let's hope that we can in our lifetimes, as we have just proven in the presidential election, someday soon, finally grow up.
