Gay marriage

I decided to post something about this controversial topic since its been in the news around here the past few weeks, especially with Kansas passing a constitutional amendment banning not only gay marriage but also civil unions. I was not surprised that it passed since Kansas is a fairly conservative state and if can pass in Missouri you would think Kansas would pass something as well. I myself am against gay marriage, I think that should be left between a man and a woman. I don't really have a problem with civil unions because why should say two guys living together not get the same rights as a man and woman living together whom are not married. In a common law state I could see why people would be against that since that could basically give them rights similar to married people after a few years.

Judging from the response around the country, I don't think gay people will have the right to get married virtually anywhere, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. But they may have the right to form a civil union where they would get some of the financial and other benefits of being married. I myself am not deadset against that at this point. I am not necessarily thrilled about it, but last time I checked it was not legal to discriminate based on sexual orientation so not sure why that would be legal. I am not gay, nor do I claim to even understand that lifestyle, but I also don't view it as my responsiblity or right to tell others how they should live and who they should be. Is there really any reason that two guys or two women living together should get fewer rights than a man and a woman, would that not be discrimination if they aren't treated equally? I would have no problem with a man and woman that lived together getting the same treatment as a civil union either, I think you should treat both groupsl the same there. Keep in mind I am looking at this here from a legal, rather than moral or religious, issue.

Unfortunately, some people still are of the notion that anyone that is gay is either mentally incompetent or a deviant, that kind of thinking has pretty much been debunked except to the very conservative or religious. I myself don't understand why anyone would want to be gay, but I don't believe that anyone just decides to be gay, they end up that way somehow. To look at a gay person is having some kind of mental issue is pretty narrow minded and frankfully, pretty damn dumb. Why would anyone just choose to be gay if they had a choice in the matter? Would that even make sense? Granted, I am not gay so I guess I can't say for sure either, but it sounds rather silly.

An even thornier issue involves gay couples raising kids. This obviously has religious groups in an uproar, but then again, what doesn't these days? I think I would want to see some actual scientific evidence (not religious, scientific) before I would want to make up my mind on that. I am not worried about the prospective parents as much as the kids. I wonder how that would work out, besides the obivous things like getting picked on by other kids for having "queer parents". Would their kids turn out okay, would they be predisposed to ending up gay themselves, would their development be the same as with straight parents? I don't think anyone knows the answer to that question yet. Yes, there are some anti gay groups that think they have the answer, but considering the fact that they had their answer before they knew the question, I put about as much faith in their opinion as the average guy on the street.

I am still puzzled by those that view gay people as having a sickness or illness that can be cured. Yes, there are a small number that turn out to be heterosexual, but for the most part, it is not something that people can change about themselves. Despite all the religious rhetoric against it, homosexuality was apparently around even in Roman and Greek times and probably before that, people were just not very open about it. I have heard people use the bible as justification to prevent people from being gay, but to be truthful about the bible, you can use some part of it to back up about any viewpoint. Also keep in mind that the bible is a collection of stories handed down multiple times that is not necessarily exactly 100% historically accurate. It might be but it might not be. But to stay on task you can use the bible to support all sorts of viewpoints, including opposite sides of the same argument. In the 1850's you probably had southerners use it to justify keeping slaves.

The think I find the most puzzling about people's behavior around gay people is that (especially guys) people act like they will be converted if they have gay friends or hang out with gay people. Or that the gay person will hit on them or something. Kind of funny. I don't have any close friends that are gay, but I have worked with several people that are gay and you know what? Other than there sexual orientation, they were just like everybody else.

Overall, I am a little concerned that so many people across the country are for the first time actively passing or trying to pass constituional amendments not to give people more rights, but rather to take them away or prevent them being granted to certain people. Look back to our founding fathers and that is not exactly consistent with what they had in mind now was it? If you are against gay marriage (or for it for that matter), good for you. But it does not belong in our constitution next to the Bill of Rights and other amendments that give, rather than take away people's rights! Is this the United States of America or the Socialist States of the America's?

Such amendments lean to the latter, and I personally find that kind of scary.

What do you think?