EDIT: THIS POST IS NOW LOCKED. Please feel free to view the responses!
As some of you may know, there is a case named Obergefell vs. Hodges currently being discussed in the Supreme Court. This case discusses gay & lesbian rights.
Now, why am I talking about this?
As some of you may know, I am heterosexual, but I am also the child of gay parents, namely two fathers. Our family is excited about this case and we’re listening to the live audio right now. (http://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2014/14-556-q1)
I made this forum post to ask you guys a question: What’s your stance on gay and lesbian marriage? (or other groups, as well)
Please respond below!
I understand we have those here that support and those who do not support LGBT marriage, so please be respectful of those views. Hell, I’m not going to criticize you if you hate it. So, please feel free to tell me, the community is open to your views.
I’m very accepting of such beliefs. I believe that, if it’s what makes someone happy, why stop them if it does no harm to anyone else? Also, I’m interested in what this case discusses, but can’t be bothered to read up. Mind giving a brief overview, so others who are just as curious know as well?
Basically, Obergefell wanted to be listed to be listed on his partner’s death certificate after he died and the state wouldn’t let him (don’t know which particular state EDIT: Ohio)
The case found its way into the Supreme Court, and it is now being discussed on a much larger issue. The SC brought up two points which could affect all gay & lesbian citizens:
1: Will the states have to recognize other states same-sex marriages?
2: Is it unconstitutional for a state to deny any citizen’s right to marriage?
That’s basically what’s being argued.
PS: Thanks for your comment I appreciate you stepping up with the first reply haha
Now. How about your views? Obviously, you’re accepting of the notion, but care to give some insight to your feelings of LGBT, etc. sorta things? It’s rather often debated the “effects” that a person growing up in such an environment has a different effect, (not that I believe much of that. Explain gay kids from straight parents?) so what would you say growing up in a situation as yours has effected your opinion on gays and such as a whole?
As you guessed, I’m definitely for LGBT rights across the world. I think that being raised by gay parents has given me a different insight on the situation because I find that I’m a bit more knowledgeable on LGBT rights. As I said above, I’m fine if people don’t support it, but I don’t like that people don’t care enough to find out why they don’t like it. If they just sit there and discriminate, then that’s offensive. I actually appreciate if people take the time to figure out what they don’t like about it rather than say “It’s gross” or “That doesn’t seem right.” If most people in the world were gay at the start of humanity, then wouldn’t heterosexual marriage seem out of place? It’s also about the way one views it. Even though I am personally heterosexual, I appreciate having been able to view it through my parents eyes. People will sometimes ask me “Don’t you wish you had a mother?” or “Do you ever think about your biological mother?” Honestly, it seems weird to have a woman in our household ;D
Any more questions, please feel free to ask.
~Amphi
I am very supportive of gay and lesbian marriage rights. I strongly believe that love is love. You should be able to marry whoever makes you the best version of yourself. Many people say that being gay is a sin. If gays go to hell, than aren’t we all going to hell? Does that mean that every other sin will be forgiven? I’m straight and I’m a Christian. I’m not speaking for the perspective of someone with close relevance to gay relationships. However, I think the best answer to the common question “when did you know you were gay” is “when did you know you were straight”. Being gay isn’t something people choose. It should be just as accepted as being straight. People deserve to be happy to be able to spend their lives with the people they choose. Not the person society thinks is best fit for them.
I am totally fine with all marriage types. Some of my families best friends are lesbians and I know my own family has been a bit open to both.
While some marriage combos may weird me out such as people wanting to marry dolls or other things… I don’t believe we have the right to judge them. Odd example, but I hope the idea gets across.
Totally 100% support it, gay marriage and LGBT rights are a thing that I feel should be brought up more around schools and even with normal conversation IMO. Having friends who are gay/bi/trans and coming from a bisexual standpoint, I would like that in the future LGBT rights and topics would become just a normal thing I guess is how I can word it.
Hopefully with more states accepting gay marriage and making it legal hopefully it would encourage more schools to talk about it too (idk how it is in other places but in the south peeps are weird with LGBT topics) and save a lot of kids and teens from totally freaking out and wondering what is going on with them and help them realize it’s a normal thing in life.
Nothing against gays in general, but TBH it kinda annoys me when they start making a big deal about it, for example the Gay Pride Parade! I don’t agree with that type of stuff, if they want equality just act normal!
IDK, maybe I have a wrong image of gay people! I never met one to be honest (or maybe I just didn’t know)
I understand where you’re coming from, those things get a bit annoying from my end too sometimes. I don’t have a problem with pride parades in general, it’s just that sometimes they get a bit over the top. The Washington DC parade is an example of that lol
It appears that I’ll be the first to offer some dissent. At least one of you could have at least played devil’s advocate - or is it so much of a no-brainer to most people that the other side isn’t even worth considering?
I am what you may casually refer to as a homophobe (though I must say, I am not afraid of the LGBTQ community, nor am I unwilling to speak or interact with them) or a (Christian) fundamentalist. For (people like) me, marriage is not defined as a result of love, but rather as something that comes from God. That’s the general sentiment behind the religious side of the argument. So in other words, I suppose you could argue that our stance is that love is love, but not all love constitutes marriage.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t think that we should go around herding up homosexuals and imprisoning them or anything of that scale, nor do I think that they should be berated or harassed. Even within the Christian community, especially down here in the Bible belt where I live, we have to be careful not to be overzealous with our views either. Many churches are religious groups are moving from a stance of “shaming” to a more tolerant perspective - after all, Jesus himself spent time with sinners, too - He didn’t see himself as “better than them”, even though He probably had every right to. At the same time, He did tell them to repent from their sins - the emerging viewpoint is to “love the sinner, hate the sin”. Nonetheless, the church still views homosexuality as a sin, and I understand that still offends many people.
A solution I propose: get the government out of marriages; have them issue civil unions instead.
I do my very best not to hold prejudices against any members of the LGBTQ community that I encounter without getting to know them first - after all, many of them are indistinguishable from everyone else (such as Amphi - I would never have known, and this obviously won’t change anything between us). Still, if you force me to draw a line in the sand showing where I stand, this is how I feel about the matter.
I think, at least in my country, people have a retrograde mentality so most of us probably never interact with gay people probably because people don’t “get out of the closet” afraid of other people reaction (that probably wouldn’t be the best).
At least I (and probably most of people I know) imagine a gay as a super bitchy person ( like what I see in the media). But as I said , maybe I’m just wrong.
As for lesbians, I would like to meet some, you know, for researching purposes :
I realize I should now have said this in the post, so to avoid confusion haha. I’ll do that now
@AngelSentinel Thanks for your opinion! This is what I meant about my appreciation of people who go the extra mile to find out what they don’t like about it. I also appreciate that you do your best not to discriminate! Even something like that can lead to a better state of cooperation and trust.
Can confirm, many people that were in my high school came out and were publicly gay, bi, lesbian, etc. No one really cared, and everyone was basically cool with it there.
This might surprise you guys based on what some of you already know about me…I’m sorry if any of this offends anyone, I’m not against anyone or their beliefs, but I do have strong disagreements for my own valid reasons:
I identify as Pan (meaning I don’t find either gender more appealing than the other for a short definition). I’ve been with someone of the same gender as me since October and it’s been great thus far. I’ve lived in Massachusetts my entire life and around here being whoever you are is very accepted and it’s not like anyone really cares who you love. For the most part I’ve never had a problem about being friendly with people of different orientations because they should be treated just like anyone else, they love who they love; that is what i deem as normal. I choose not to tell my family about my significant other b/c my family is my home and my backup income and their views will get in the way of what I have planned for myself growing older. I won’t ever consider telling my family about this side of me until I’m on my own and can provide for myself, sounds fair and less dramatic in the longrun.
I do not consider myself an LGBTQ activist at all surprisingly. I do not follow the news for them in particular, I don’t follow any kind of laws or rights movements because I think it’s too publicized to throw people’s business in other people’s faces. Don’t get me wrong, I love and accept people of all different preferences, but people’s business in a bedroom and their love for one another is something I hold dear because I believe it should be personal and not public. Who I love is nobody else’s business, so even though I said above I might come out to my family in the future I don’t agree with the whole “coming out” ordeal because it should not matter because loving who you love is instinctual and not something you may necessarily do by “choice”. I also am embarassed of Gay pride events, this goes hand in hand with publicizing love. It just seems pointless. Like, straight people don’t have pride events to my knowledge, so why should LGBTQ go waving around their sexuality in the streets of a city?
My view on marriage is something I view literally. My religion is Christianity, I can’t always agree and believe everything that’s written in the bible however I do agree with some things in the faith. I believe God intended for marriage to be strictly between a man and a woman. I don’t believe marriage is an appropriate term for LGBTQ because marriage is a very religious and serious word that has been around for ages. If I ever found someone of my same gender who I may find is my soulmate, the commitment in love between us could not be identified as marriage in my eye. I think it needs a new term, or if there is a current term for a committed love thats not marriage that is my view and side of the table.
@PrinceMark Thank you for your opinion! I appreciate the in-depth approach you took and that you’re able to express your sexual orientation freely. I used to know a few pan people at my old school before I moved away.
I agree with you about the gay pride parade bit. I don’t think the LGBT community should have to wave it in the world’s face to be recognized in a good way. That’s an interesting point and I’m glad you brought that up.
I appreciate you stepping up with the first reply haha
- or is it so much of a no-brainer to most people that the other side isn’t even worth considering?