On Nov 10, 2008, at 2:47 PM, Chris Gehlker wrote:

> I posted a fairly long rant here:
> <http://open.salon.com/content.php?cid=41803>
> Comments welcome.


Amen!

This is an idea - a compromise? - that I've discussed with many gay  
friends, as well as several Prop 8 supporters, and it is tempting to  
everyone I've spoken to. Doubtless, there are true bigots out there  
who want nothing but agonizing death for gays, but that is, I hope,  
the vast minority. That said, the Prop 8 proponents I know also see  
this as just a superficial change, that it still represents exactly  
what they have voted against, and I think they are right. Prop 8  
wasn't about protecting churches from forced religious ceremonies for  
gays (though some did believe that), it was purely about preventing  
the state from granting civil unions.

In the end, states granting civil unions for all is perfectly  
appropriate - the state is a civic institution afterall - and is truly  
all they do already. The state does not involve religion in marriage -  
that's purely optional and secondary to the civil unions we already  
get from the stae. The problem is, I think, that if people want to  
call that marriage, well I'm sure they will, and that's where I'm  
afraid the issue will breakdown - if it looks like marriage, smells  
like marriage, people will use the language of marriage, and then  
we're back to our current predicament. I fear it's just playing the  
same word games that we're playing now.

So on the surface it's the correct, obvious, and honest path... but  
will it really make a material difference in the debate? 
_______________________________________________
OSX-Nutters mailing list | [email protected]
http://lists.tit-wank.com/mailman/listinfo/osx-nutters
List hosted at http://cat5.org/

Reply via email to