What bothers me is when people argue that gay marriage would somehow destroy the sanctity of marriage. What hypocrisy! In reality, the sanctity of marriage has already been damaged irreparably. What's the U.S. divorce rate? At least 50%, right? In the cradle of so-called "traditional values" (the Bible Belt), their divorce rates are actually higher than the national average. Where's the outrage over divorce? I just don't understand the sanctimony of the anti-gay marriage crowd. What happened to the idea of letting others live as they so choose? That this kind of bigotry still exists today is utterly disheartening.
I don't think it's hypocrisy as much as insecurity. I'm pretty sure what's behind a lot of the opposition to gay marriage is panic. The people it horrifies see the institution of marriage crumbling, don't know what to do to stop it, and latch onto gay marriage as a scapegoat. They can then focus all their rage and confusion on this single enemy instead of facing up to the far more complicated problems behind the collapse of the sacrament they (supposedly) cherish so much (I wonder how many of them have gone through a divorce).
I hope so. Something tells me it's not that easy, but I'm sure a lot of people said that in the 50's as well. But, I hope so.
It's never easy, but look how much has changed since the fifties. Hell, since the seventies/eighties.
What is it about this sacrament that is so cherished anyway? Is the fight to banish same-sex marriage to help preserve the institution of marriage really about how much marriage is cherished? (You used the word "supposedly"; that's what I was thinking too.) Or is it about:
-- bigotry toward gays and lesbians (as a lot of gay activists suppose)
-- anxiety about "change" (which seems a simple-minded answer)
-- the apparent extension of *yet* more made-up rights to *yet* another supposedly oppressed minority... sigh
-- deliberately confusing shell games being played out on ballots
-- economics (I don't know how, but some materialist lefty theorists could invent an explanation here)
-- shadowy imaginary conspiracies (black helicopters, etc. -- you can see I'm at a loss at this point)
The argument that extending marriage to same-sex partners actually strengthens marriage doesn't seem to be convincing anyone, aside from a few homos. I still think it's valid, but I fall into the aforementioned category.
Don't feel ashamed of being from Maine, Sarah, far from it. Defeating that initiative would never have had a ghost of a chance in upwards 30 or 40 other states.
