With regard to Peter LaBarbera’s attack on “gay loving” Barack Obama, OneNewsNow currently has a poll asking readers whether or not they think the Democratic presidential hopeful “clearly demonstrated his full support for all aspects of the homosexual agenda.”
A vast majority agree that he has pushed for the proverbial “agenda.”
The funny thing is, of course, that some gay voters may disagree, like an ABC News reader who described the Democratic Party’s contentious platform as “another empty promise from Obama.”
michael
“Marriage is between one man and one woman”. I would hardly
call him fully supportive.
erik11
if the goal is equal rights, for inheritance, hospitalization and naturalization (for foreign partners) –
Who cares what its called?
Sometimes, the GLBT community misses the forest for the trees.
Jere
Erik11 – I care. Thousands of people care. Obviously. Marriage equality is about more than simply a collection of rights under the law. It’s about being recognized as equal citizens socially, culturally and politically, too.
ChicagoJimmy
Someone please help! What are all the aspects of the “Homosexual Agenda?” I seem to have misplaced my copy of the manifesto.
GoodBuddy
The Agenda
http://glaa.org/archive/2008/agenda2008.shtml
ajax
Eric 11, I care too. If it were 40 years ago and I were African American, I’d probably care about the secton of the bus in which I was allowed to sit and from which fountain I could drink. I probably wouldn’t want to be called “picaninny” or “jigaboo” either – but those are just words, right?
Tom
I agree with you Erik11, calling it “marriage” at this stage of the fight for equality serves no purpose other than to stir up the religious fundamentalists who have already obtained consitutional marriage bans in 26 states and 18 of which ban civil unions. So rather than progress, the gay marriage issue has been an abysmal failure and it only provides fodder for the bigots to rally more bigots to the polls.
The focus on “marriage’ as the objective is misplaced. The objective are those benefits which flow from marriage and those benefits can be obtained through civil unions–that is until the marriage movement resulted in a loss of that right.
Good job. The next time I want to expand my civil rights, I won’t call the shortsighted leaders who designed the marriage strategy.
emb
Thank you, Tom. Nicely said.
michael
Tom Erik, Neither of you have any more right to determine how all gay people should feel about marriage versus whatever else it is called than any other group does. For some, marriage is a spiritual union and those who believe that should have every right to enter that union. I and my partner were just in San Francisco and we visited the court house to pick up our marriage license. While we were there we witnessed many who were having there marriage ceremony , had just completed, or were about to have their ceremony. The joy and tears of these folks was immensely moving, and I must say that the department staff were amazing. There were couples there who had been together for decades. I don’t know if I have ever been in a place where the air was filled with so much love and gratitude. The two of you may only see marriage verses civil unions as a legal technicality but you are wrong, dead wrong. There is much more to love than tax deductions. And Tom, it is sad that you think the only reason that gay people wish to marry is to stir up religious fundamentalist. Yes, there are those backward states that are passing there amendments to ban gay marriage but that could be eventually stopped on the federal level just as slavery was stopped. I must say I used to believe that there was not any real difference, but once I got out of my head and into my heart I saw otherwise.
marcus
Well said Michael, nobody has the right to define all that marriage means to someone. But then, beauty is in the eye of the beholder,
but some people are just plain blind.
boytroy
I have an idea, it used to be that women could be denied the right to be promoted but now they can so why don’t we come up with new titles for them when they take higher positions in companies? Maybe instead of president of a company we could call them Feminine Corporate Ruler? Or if they are black call them something like Ebony Main corporate officer? I mean for years these positions were traditionally held by white males were they not? Oh, and as far as states passing anti-marriage amendments, many of those states included provisions denying civil unions as well. Christian fundamentalist don’t want us to even exist and I don’t think they will stop fighting just because we compromise what title we call our unions.
Tom
I guess the difference with me is that I do not have sentimental feelings about the word or concept of “marriage.” In fact, two people (or more) can have the same spiritual union without having it ordained by the state or a minister. Neither true love nor committment need the state or church to bless it.
Since I view both the state and the church as an obstacle to true love and happiness, I would actually prefer both institutions to leave me alone when it comes to me showing my love for another human being.
The only purpose I need the state for when it comes to my union, is to guarantee eqaulity in the recognition/distribution of benefits/assets. Civil unions, which a substantial majority of people support, achieves that purpose.
Bill Perdue
Civil unions are a recognition of second class citizenship and a product of bigotry. That’s why Obama endorse them.
The Democrats latest platform excises the terms Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered/Transsexual and Bi-Sexual. This, and the bigoted stance on same sex marriage were done at the insistence of Obama. Check out the You Tube segment “DNC LGBT Platform (Part 1 of 2) by open process” and you’ll see Hpoward Dean repeateldy state that Obama dictated the platform.
McCain is a Bush clone and Obama is a Clinton clone. Voting for either is voting against the GLBT agenda, for war and against unions and a fair standard of living for working people. The programs of both parties and candidates are right wing.
Voting for either of them is unprincipled. Instead of wasting it, vote for any left wing party or candidate or just sit it out.
McCain is a rancid right-winger with the Rev. Pat Robertson attached at the hip. Obama is Bill Clinton (DOMA, DADT, NAFTA) in drag with the Rev. Donnie McClurkin attached at the hip.
seitan-on-a-stick
Michael, leave the Goat out of this!
seitan-on-a-stick
An Unscientific Presidential POLL (kinda like Fox)
[ ] McCain is this year’s Bob Dole
[ ] Obama is the “Black†John Kerry
[ ] McCain will pick Condi as Veep for Checkmate
[ ] Obama will be a Bill Clinton two-termer
[ ] McCain will be like Papa Bush’s third term of Reagan
[ ] Obama will be ousted by Big Oil in one term
[ ] Bush will declare Martial Law to stay in Office
[ ] Obama will have an Affair in Office
[ ] Bill Clinton will hit on Michelle Obama
[ ] Hillary will run for President in 2012
[ ] McCain will Die in Office
[ ] Al Gore will return to complete his 2000 elected term as a result of civil unrest
[ ] Paris Hilton’s Thong will Run Up her Ass
Multiple answers allowed (and encouraged!)
mds
Somehow when I think about civil unions I feel sad, something about it does not feel whole. But when I think of marriage my heart jumps and I feel like dancing. I don’t know, maybe its the best we are going to get but somehow it feels less than, as if someone is saying your not quite good enough. Quite frankly I am tired of being told that and even more tired of accepting it. Yes, I believe that one can have a spiritual union without the blessing of the state. But it is not right. Michael, how cool it must have been for you to actually see gay people being married in that courthouse. Maybe if we could all witness that we would all see that anything less than the right to marry is not equal, even if it civil unions grant us the same legal rights.
Mr C
Personally I am in FULL SUPPORT of Gay Marriage. However, I don’t think it’s for me for reasons of my own.
However Michael @ No 9 LOVE doesn’t necessarily equate to marriage it equates to LOVE. Now if they want to be married then they should have all RIGHTS to do so without question.
Here’s the thing. My issue with us as Gays is this. The first couple who got married a while ago has sinced filed for divorced Why, and then the question becomes WHAT WAS THE FIGHT FOR?????
There are alot of Gay Male couples who believe in “OPEN RELATIONSHIPS” But if you two LOVE each other so much and get married in an open relationship then why wouldn’t love equal a tax deduction because that’s what it looks like if it’s you, john, and shaun.
Truth be told the gov’t doesn’t want us to have marriage rights for this very reason (MONEY with the benefits) and that reason alone. The religious right is talking a bunch of junk.
Please don’t make this fight that LGBT are fighting WORTHLESS and a WASTE of TIME.
If you truly love the person and desire to marry them.
DO THE RIGHT THING and lets make Gay Marriage worth while and not about GAY DIVORCE!
seitan-on-a-stick
Tommy Lee (of Motley Crue) said it best that “Marriage is the leading cause of Divorce!” For many, it’s a legal and financial reason, just like straights. Oh, and the til death do us part stuff (Except the 55% or more who divorce) and Heaven in Torch Song Trilogy was soooooooooooo real… Not against Gay Marriage, just not everyone’s priority. Who wants to marry a gay Heather Mills anyway! ANSWER: Heath Mills!
Thomas
being called a jigaboo†hurts I’m trying hard to become an upstanding straight male, and the guys I grew up with disowned me they don’t like the way i don’t smoke, drink or curse in lest I’m pushed into to an argument
greybat
No.16- It’s funny, MDS, but my partner and myself are getting married next Friday, basically just getting the license and a quick civil ceremony.
It feels more like a “domestic partnership”, simply because it’s filling out forms at city hall, whereas our commitment ceremony three years ago, complete with hand-fasting, broom-jumping, and cutting up the cake with our ritual swords, in a pretty garden with our friends and families in attendance, seems more like the romantic dream we all want our weddings to be, even though there was no legal binding or protections to be had from it.
The “religious” people who say they oppose Gay marriage on “moral” grounds are behaving neither morally nor religiously.
We have always had union ceremonies in our various faiths, and if any Gods or Goddesses have looked on this with disfavor, they have mostly kept it under their hats.