Same-sex marriage CXVI...

I gotta go with McG here again. When was the last Hetero Pride Parade through your town? I don't see to many hetero sexuals walking around saying "We're Straight and we won't wait" or anything dumb like that. It is always the "minority" that has to throw their beleif in the face of the majority. Wasn't there an "artist" a while back that put a crucifix in a jar of urine and called it art? Many people agreed with him and I support his right to do what he wants with his jar of pee, but calling it art?

I still would like to hear from an openly gay person (one that isn't gay because it's hip to be gay but a truely gay person) as to what the difference between a civil union with all of the same rights as a marriage and a marriage are?

Doncha watch TV commercials? What sort of sexuality is generally flaunted there?

I am not talking about advertisors who are trying to get the almighty dollar, I am talking about Parades down main street. The commercials are trying to reach the "masses" which is why the majority of them are on an 8th grade level. Selling items with sex doesn't get me to buy them.

I call that a minority in a minority. My family has a lesbian couple with children as their friends, and they are more an example of the average homosexual: working a normal job, going to a park or whatever on Sunday etc. You don't see them dancing in a gay parade. Though that seems to be the average gay person, in your eyes. A sad stereotype.

What reason would they have to march? (Though I'd also contend that folks who turn up at protests with signs like "Gods Hate Fags" are flaunting something, though I doubt I'd call it sexuality.) Anyway I was responding to McG's statement: there is a distinct difference between flauning ("Hey! Check out my package!") and politicizing ("You've made the penis illegal, and yet here I am with my penis!").

I am not saying that is the average gay person in my eyes. I am saying that you don't see heterosexuals having parades to announce and affirm their sexuality in the eyes of society. Homosexuals do it. If you want to be gay, fine be gay. I shouldn't have to take a different route to work one day because you want to have a parade down main street to tell it to the world.

Or because you're Irish? Or patriotic?

Well I am not Irish and would be iritated by being caught up in that parade also. As for Patriotism, well usually those parades are on national holidays so I am not at work anyway.

Well, as long as it's convenient for you...

Hey, my rights are as important as anyone elses aren't they?

1) It could be me, but as you stated it in your post(s) I did get the idea you meant the gaycommunity in a whole. You do take it as an argument to show the distinction between heterosexuals and homosexuals and how they act. So when you are aware, or at least suggest, that this is not the average gay person in your eyes, then how come you do see this argument as a good one for supporting the difference there is on this point between straight and gay people?

2) Of course heterosexuality is announced far and wide in our society, though in so many subtile ways. Soapseries, commercials (do you ever see gays or gay couples in commercials?), MTV etc. the message is "be straight" eventually. That is also why so many people have a hard time accepting homosexuality: this society says "homosexuality is not normal" and this is being enforced a lot.

Um - you really didn't mean to put MTV in there did you? They flaunt the Gay community and their lifestyle on almost every one of their "Reality" shows.

Sure. But there are a hell of a lot more people in that parade than there are in your skin.

The point, as I'm sure you are aware, is visibility. Fewer people care if, for example, you can discriminate on the basis of sexuality in hiring if you never see anyone you know is gay. And it happens, though thankfully the tide is changing -- probably in large part to visibility.

But this is going pretty far afield from the original topic...

And MTV is the only thing you can think off?

What is "their lifestyle," exactly? Is there a hetero "lifestyle"?

LOL!!! It is "flaunted" all the time - it is simply invisible to you because you see it as natural.

I will summarize my argument that I posted immediately after the thread post in this thread:

Marriage is a necessary institution for the stability of any country.

Gay people already have the exact same rights as heterosexuals do.

To extend 'marriage' to gay couples and not extend it to other same sex couples would be creating a special right for gays.

All married people do not choose to have children (either their biological children or adopted children) but marriage presumes that possibility. Children should be the number one concern in this argument and children do better with a mother and a father in the home.

Very few people would object to civil unions other than husband/wife (ie one man/one woman) forming legalized family units that would provide the protections and advantages they seek.

Just pick a different word for it and let the traditional definition of marriage alone.

These points are expanded somewhat in my initial post.

Two strait men or women cannot marry. Not allowing it does not take away the rights of gays.

Also, to even apply the word "marriage" to a same sex union is like calling the color "red" "blue".

Can you explain Tony how allowing two gay guys to marry and denying that right to two heterosexual guys is not giving a special right to the gays?