Why do gay people want marriage?
In some ways, the question about why gay people want to marry is pretty easy to answer. It's for the same reasons straight people want to marry. However, probably the best way to find out the answer is to find a gay person and ask him or her. Watch their facial expression and eyes as they give you their answer. You'll see a lot of emotion in many of them.
Probably you'll find out that gay people want the same things you do...a chance to build a life with someone else, to have respect for their relationship in the community, and to contribute to those around them. For a really interesting article on this read this USA Today article.
There are those who claim that gay marriage in Scandinavia has damaged heterosexual marriage there. However, a careful examination of the facts does not substantiate this. And if you're interested in some humor here's a tongue-in-cheek article by a straight man complaining about how the gay couple down the street threatened his marriage.
Did we move too fast?
Actually some gay people voiced concern several years ago that the Massachusetts Supreme Court mandate about gay marriage followed too closely on the heels of the Texas Supreme Court's ruling against laws prohibiting same-gender sodomy.
The concern expressed by some people was that our country might not be ready for that much change all at once, that there could be a panic response. To some degree, this has happened. However, on the other hand, gay people have waited a long time for the right to have socially sanctioned relationships. There also seems to be a lot of energy around the use of the word "marriage"...a clear indication of the emotional nature of the issue. However, it is also clear to many that gay people deserve the same legal rights as technically "married" people.
Who has a vested interest in the acceptance of gay people and gay marriage in our society?
|
Actually, more of us have a vested interest in this than is commonly acknowleged. For starters, one might think that all of the women who married gay men and the men who married lesbians have a reason to be interested in encouraging gay people to marry one another. Many gay men and women make a genuine attempt to marry the opposite gender, only to find out years later that they are hopelessly depressed by their marital situation and unable to be a passionate partner to their mate.
Another group of people are the parents gay children who watch their children suffer. For an excellent article on this read the words of a Vermont mother.
Actually, we all have plenty of reason to want a better understanding and acceptance of gay people. When any of us in our society are discriminated against, we all lose. And we all have a lot to offer.
