Gay Rights Now!
vant0037
Posts: 6,154
Who's with me? Aside from gay marriage issues, there has been a lot in the news lately affecting the LGBT community (i.e. the gay bashings in NYC, the Rutgers student suicide, the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ruling etc).
I'm not really looking to debate those issues here; I am firmly and unapologetically in support of gay rights. Plus, there are always other threads for debating the merits of an issue. I'm just looking to measure and perhaps galvanize others on this board who might also support gay rights.
So, who else is in support of gay rights? And what do we do about it (aside from posting in an online forum when I should be getting work done
)? Is anyone involved in activist organizations? Things are looking pretty grim lately for LGBT rights and when anti-gay violence intensifies, we should match it with our support for LGBT rights. It'd be cool to hear what other supporters are doing or concerned about.
I'm not really looking to debate those issues here; I am firmly and unapologetically in support of gay rights. Plus, there are always other threads for debating the merits of an issue. I'm just looking to measure and perhaps galvanize others on this board who might also support gay rights.
So, who else is in support of gay rights? And what do we do about it (aside from posting in an online forum when I should be getting work done
)? Is anyone involved in activist organizations? Things are looking pretty grim lately for LGBT rights and when anti-gay violence intensifies, we should match it with our support for LGBT rights. It'd be cool to hear what other supporters are doing or concerned about. 1998-06-30 Minneapolis
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Post edited by Unknown User on
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to do otherwise makes one a bigot
plain and simple
now the obvious exception,
i do not support the rights of anyone who feels that it is THEIR right to use or abuse others
"what a long, strange trip it's been"
Godfather.
some of my bestest buddies are gay.
Been to a few rallies to show my support over the years.
I do feel it should remain a state issue,
not a federal mandate but I feel that way about most issues,
less Federal more State government where the people have more voice.
I really don't care = you're a straight WMA who's never personally been persecuted against?
Word up. Without getting into the broad merits or flaws of democracy, I don't trust American voters to consistently support equal rights, especially with an electorate that tends to be lazy and/or misinformed. Its hard for me to conceive how equal rights for gay people is anything but an equal rights issue.
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persecuted against? I have never thought about that....in this day and age what does persecution mean or consist of, back in the days of slavery and so on I can understand that but today I only see people of all colors
and back grounds trying to survive there is always going to be someone that causes trouble for what ever reason, if I can't smoke in a crowded room and am threatened with a fine or jail is that persecution
Godfather.
What does persecution mean these days? In the case of gay people, it means they can't get married and adopt children in certain states, among other things. They're being told they don't deserve the same rights as straight people, simply because they're more attracted to the same sex than the opposite sex. They're not bloodthirsty mass murderers, they're guys who like guys and girls who like girls. Yet because of that the government says they're not suitable enough human beings for the institutions of marriage and parenthood. To me, that's persecution.
I'm not seeing a lot of persecution here for the Gay community
any more than the midwest or anywhere.
Its this sterotyping that is a problem for our country.
Out of 52 states..how many can gays marry in and how many recognize the marriage?
Pretty much you can count on 2 hands so therefore it is a nationwide situation,
not one of the Souths.
I also didn't say they shouldn't have the same rights...twisting words and thoughts.
I believe they should and as I said I have many loved ones that are gay.
I'm just not for the feds being involved in our personal lives is all.
I'd only like to see their role be in defending our country against attack
or other peril and in aiding the states in disaster. Pretty much it for me.
Their hands are in everything.
Secondly and more importantly by giving the power to the states
change comes about easier and faster.
People will pass the laws easier and change will come.
One step and one state at a time because you know
the feds aren't going to give Gay rights the forefront right now anyways
considering only a few states show support for it.
But as a majority of states give the rights that will call for change.
Its up to us on the local level to empower our Gay friends.
By leaving it to the states, change comes faster and easier? I completely disagree. History has shown otherwise tenfold. Without the Civil Rights Act or notable Supreme Court rulings, is there any doubt that certain states would STILL practice discimination based on race or gender? Without the 14th Amendment, is there any doubt that many states would violate the Bill of Rights on a daily basis, under the guise of "states rights?"
I appreciate your support for gay rights, but leaving it to the states or to a popular vote is a sure-fire guarantee that the rights of millions of Americans will continue to be denied. There are some things -- like equal protection under the law -- that you really can't trust to individual or even regional interests. That's a job for the federal government.
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We need more show now from the states or that may not happen.
Voting within your state, electing officials locally and those we send to Washington that are positive to the issue will ensure the message is sent and bring the needed change.
Things seem mighty stagnant right now perhaps even losing ground.
Actually I was surprised only 5 states allow gay marriage and in addition 3 recognize marriages but do not allow you to marry. I thought more states were on board.
That sends a message to the feds that americans are either disinterested, ie not enough noise, or against the change.
I agree what should happen but I'm afraid unless more people want it to
and show support, it may not anytime soon maybe not even in this decade.
:thumbup:
it's impossible for me to stand ip for something I don't believe in like the gay thing but it's also not for me to judge them either,I don't wish them luck or bad I just stay away from that sort of thing.
Godfather.
It all comes down to changing your head~~John Lennon
MSG 6-24-08/MSG 5-21-10/Philly MIA 9-2-12/Chicago Wrigley Field 7-19-13/Brooklyn NY 1&2 10-2013/Philly 1&2 10-2013
Yeah, the only group that doesn't have a month.
I'm sure you and your partner are very happy. :shh:
Godfather.
Godfather
It all comes down to changing your head~~John Lennon
MSG 6-24-08/MSG 5-21-10/Philly MIA 9-2-12/Chicago Wrigley Field 7-19-13/Brooklyn NY 1&2 10-2013/Philly 1&2 10-2013
In that time, my serial-monogamist sister has gone through a whole bunch of men... some she's married, some she's lived with, some she just dates. Not sure why her latest "marriage" should be considered more legally valid than mine.
I do worry about our future.. will he die in a hospital room scared and alone as I beg to be allowed in to be with him? If I die in a car accident, will he be notified by the police or have to find out on the news?
If I'm in a coma, who gets to make decisions on my behalf? A doctor who doesn't know me or the man who's known me for nearly half of my life?
Who gets the possessions left behind? Do I get his pension?
Why can't I sponsor him for a Green Card? Will he be deported?
I don't think families should have to be treated like subhuman counterparts because we're both men.
The level of homophobia which passes for everyday dialogue on the internet is disgusting to me. Is the youtube comments section the best way of checking if your values are acceptable? I don't think so - but the normalisation of homophobia is happening alarmingly quickly. I agree it needs to be actively resisted.
Send my credentials to the house of detention
Right the fuck on. I wholeheartedly agree (that's why I started the thread!).
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Perfectly said. Many people assume that the gay marriage issue is just about a piece of paper that says you're married. Last I checked, there were some 1,100 tax benefits that married heterosexual couples enjoy, that are of course denied to married same-sex couples. That's just taxes! There are so many other important "benefits" or rights that same-sex couples are denied (like you pointed out).
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A few things...
When written, the Bill of Rights did not apply to the states. So, the 'guise of state's rights' isn't exactly far fetched. Since then, the courts have incorporated the bill of rights to include the state government. Slowly and methodically, the courts have stripped the states of the rights that were guaranteed to them by the constitution.
Secondly, ideologically, not allowing same-sex marriage is certainly discrimination. But legally, it really isn't. Every person(sans age restrictions) is given the same opportunity to marry. Of course that sounds trivial and nothing but semantics, which in part it is. So it's difficult to cry discrimination, legally, without using words like 'love' etc. That's what makes this a tricky issue. If everyone is given the exact same right to do something, legally, how can that be discriminating?
But let's say the federal government decided to step in(which I can't imagine they will). How would you define marriage? One argument that I've heard from the same-sex community is that it's nobody's business and it's not hurting anyone, which I completely agree with. So what does polygamy hurt? Would you be fine for legalizing that as well? I have a hard time imagining a scenario where one could be for same-sex marriage and against polygamy.
Finally, I would encourage you to do some thinking on your stance of the 'guise of state's rights'. The federal government overstepping their bounds is great, and convenient when you agree with their action... but it can be horrible when you don't(i.e. federal marriage act). IMO, that's what the writers of the constitution had in mind when they included that. The more local the government, the better it knows what's best for the community. And for the most part, I think it would be much easier to push this through on a state level than on a federal. I've always felt that state legislatures are much more cognizant of their constituents than at the federal level, where they seem to be more interested in their interests groups.
Have you contacted your representative yet?
What specific rights are you talking about other than gay marriage?
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
This whole gay rights thing has been talked about a lot here (Finland) too and I find it interesting, though frustrating. One thing I simply can't wrap my head around is the idea that I should form an opinion and choose a side on 'gay rights'. I don't have a specific opinion on straight people's rights (or Finn's rights or the rights of the people living down the road in that one building etc.), so why this?
Of course, I'm all for gay rights. But I don't like having to say that, because this should not even be an issue.
Most people don't realize that if they are in favor of banning gay marriage, or the other side in favor of say banning guns, that the government banning things hurts us all.
Give them civil unions and tax me less and keep your mitts out of my private life too.
Does ANY of your thoughts or views change if a child of yours turns out to be gay? Do you act as if that child is not yours or do you treat them as if they were not gay?
Peace
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