Everyone is talking about gay marriage... and my living room is no exception.
If you want to read something slightly more inspiring, or containing better arguments and information, go look at what Tiff or Rob or PG or Beth or John or Erin have to say on the matter. While you're at it, keledy is linking to some good stuff too.
Obviously, at our house we believe that any two people who want to get married ought to just be able to get married. It's certainly not the government's place to go about declaring exactly what sort of chromosomes or genitals you have to have to be in a loving, lifetime committment worthy of their sanction.
I was asking the room-at-large if anyone had yet to hear a plausible reason to refuse certain people the right to wed that was not religious. I went on to explain that I think it's fine if certain churches choose not to marry same-sex couples, the same way it's fine for certain churches to not marry people who are not their congregates, or won't attend pre-marital counseling, or don't want to have kids or whatever, but it's not okay for the federal or state or local or any branch of our government to go limiting people's rights and privledges like that.
Em recounted a conversation she'd had earlier that day. Apparently the person with whom she was speaking felt that if we allowed two people of the same sex who are in love and committed express their feelings by legally becoming a family and all that, we're opening the doors up for people to marry animals and for fathers to marry their daughters. It was the closest any of us had managed to get to a conversation where someone was against without bringing up religion directly.
Em then said this to us, in the most serious voice, "Okay, first off. A goat? Not a person. A goat wouldn't be able to understand about getting married. I mean, you can't have a conversation with a goat. How would you propose to a goat? A goat can't even sign a marriage license. I did finally just tell her that if it came down to fathers marrying daughters or gay people not being allowed to get married, I'll take the incest if that's what it means."
The funniest thing I've heard all week "A goat can't even sign a marriage license." said in all seriousness.
Now, go click on those links up there. Read something informative and thought provoking on the matter.
