Do you support gay marriage or civil unions?

Question

Consider this:

I have been in a 17 year gay relationship.

If my partner were in intensive care, I could not visit, for I am not "immediate family."

If he should be incapable of making decisions for himself, I would not be allowed to make the decision to "pull the plug", sustain his life or anything else...

Should he need long term care, I would not have the legal right to take him from the hospital and provide that care.

Should he pass, I would not automatically inherit his property, and that property which we both own, could be forced to sell, and divide assets with his "family"

Even if we go to the expense to hire attorneys and write living wills, etc.... 80% of the time when these wills are contested in court, the courts will side with the "blood relative" over "domestic friend".

Why does it threaten the straight married folk to allow me the right to visit my partner in the hospital? Why is this a threat to the institution of marriage?

Answer 1

I would like people to have their cake and eat it too. I think that the idea of preserving the sanctity of marriage should strictly be for religious institutions and not the business of government.

For those who say Marriage is between a man and a woman as a definition i say why then, can we have a marriage of ideas? Etymologically ( i know it's a big word for the bible-worshipping boguns) Marriage simply means the merging of two things, this is a powerful metaphor in any relationship, not just a heterosexual one. The only argument against gay marriage comes from a religious perspective, therefore, i say keep it in Church- Governments have no business upholding one set of spiritual beliefs over another. We recognise that two adults regardless of their gender can fall in love and be together, why not give them the avenue to pledge their lives to each other that we enjoy?

Answer 2

Dude that blows. Sorry about that. Must be hard.

Such a hard question. No matter what I believe personally about homosexuality (and I'm actually on the fence), we are all Americans and should be entitled to the same rights.

I support the complete abolishment of marriage, at least its legal status in the government. I feel like marriage is a religious issue, and I don't want religion in the government.

Or vice versa. I'm a Christian and political scenes are turning my faith into a hotbed or power-hungry debates and hatred, instead of love and forgiveness, and unconditional positive regard for others. So here is the best solution I've ever heard: abolish marriage completely, for everybody. Remove it's legal standing. It's a religious institution anyway. Allow every citizen the same rights under a Civil Union, straight and gay alike. The rights and priviledges (such as the ones named by yourself) for marriage now could be transfered to the Civil Union and that should be the document in the US. Those who want to get "married" can acquire a certificate at a church ceremony that is not legally recognized. This way, Christians and Muslims will not see their sacred ceremony as defiled and all will be equal in this country, yet some churches WILL marry gays who want to marry.

Pleases everybody! I see this as an intelligent compromise that also affirms that Christians are not here to take over the government. The church should also be happy to see atheist couples quit acting like they need a pastor to be joined. But the point is that it ceases to be America's problem. It becomes the church's. And the church has been disagreeing on this anyway, why not leave it all to it? I don't want Christians to be known for winning this battle in the political world. We have others to fight that are more important, like loving people and ending poverty and stuff.
It may be possible that the powers that be are trying to keep us distracted with this issue that so polarizes, while when we are not looking, they steal our money, start wars, and do other stuff behind our backs. It's time to focus on our huge bullying government, rather than constantly blather on about abortion and gay marriage. Sure, they are important, but there is little we can do about them the way the system is set up. It will be awhile. If it's any consolation, I believe that gay marriage will be legal after the next generation.

Answer 3

I support the complete abolishment of marriage, at least its legal status in the government. I feel like marriage is a religious issue, and I don't want religion in the government.

Or vice versa. I'm a Christian and political scenes are turning my faith into a hotbed or power-hungry debates and hatred, instead of love and forgiveness, and unconditional positive regard for others. So here is the best solution I've ever heard: abolish marriage completely, for everybody. Remove it's legal standing. It's a religious institution anyway. Allow every citizen the sa

Answer 4

I don't think it's ironic. I think this is just proof that he will not just say something because that's what the people he is talking to wants to hear. Back when Jesse Ventura was running for Governor in the great state of Minnesota (can you tell where I'm from?), he spoke at a college campus to a group of students. One of the things he talked about was that he believed the government should NOT be involved in paying for a students college education. He advocated the young adults should join the military to help pay for college. What's even more amazing is that this is the age group that rallied behind him and is the reason he was elected that year.

Answer 5

I see marriage as a religious rite. As a religious rite, I feel that religious institutions/groups should be the only people who should decide what is and is not acceptable for their specific religion (as is true with any other religious rite).

I do not feel that our federal or state governments should be involved in any way with these religious rites. Nor do I feel that government should give any special benefits to people just because they have (or have not) decided to go through the religious rite of marriage. Religious rites should be private and none of the governments business.

A Civil union is a legal contract between people. To me, it is legally forming a financial partnership between people. This is a legal matter and I feel that the government should be involved if it wants to be. As in any other legal partnership, I do not think that a person's gender should be an issue. Neither should the number of people who want to join their assets together. These issues aren't important in any other legal partnership and should not be an issue in civil unions. If the government wants to give special benefits to those who have formed a financial partnership (Civil Union), that is their right, but it should apply to all civil unions and not just those who have a particular number of people or a particular gender mixture.

Of course there will be those who will wish to do both types of unions--marriage (religious) and civil (legal). While religious institutions would recognize marriage, the governments would only recognize civil unions.

This is what I'd like to see someday. Hopefully in my lifetime. It would solve a lot of problems and get the government out of the business of licensing people to have a religious rite, and the government should not have control to determine who can participate in these rites. It's none of their business.

Answer 6

I think civil unions should be allowed at the minimum.

Besides, you're right - there's much more to marriage than a religious side, even if you *are* religious, Christian or whatever... there's a bunch of legal stuff, too. So I would think hetero and homo sexual civil unions should be equal in the eyes of the law. Just don't call it "marriage", cause that one word seems to be the cause of the freaking out from conservatives. (They don't care if you're living together "in sin" or whatever, just God forbid don't get "married"!!!)
It's silly.

Answer 7

Yep.

Congrats on the relationship.

It's just too bad for us that irrational, petty bigotry, legitimized by religion, bars an entire class of people from these legal rights. Half the states in the Union have defaced their constitutions with anti-gay marriage amendments. I only hope I live long enough to see people look on those amendments with the same contempt we now look at the Jim Crow laws.

Answer 8

I could not agree more... It is the most ridiculous thing, is it not?

I mean, fair enough they say it started off as a religious thing, and because they don't believe gays should be able to get married under the eyes of god, they should not be allowed to marry... But really, marriage, for most isn't about that anymore? I don't see anyone stopping the atheists or agnostics from getting married?!

Two people who love each other just as much as two people in a heterosexual relationship, should be allowed to have the same rights in society as any other couple... Its a basic human right, and with all the progress we have made, it makes me very sad to see that it may be a very long time before more progress is made.....

Answer 9

My understanding of Civil Unions is that they are just basically a marriage, they are just calling it something else.

When a homosexuals can make babies together, without the help of someone outside their relationship- then they can get married. I know that children is not the only reason that people get married, but It is a huge reason that people get married. Marriage was instituted of a man and woman because only a man and a woman can make a baby together- that is nature and nobody will ever be able to change it.

Homosexuals don't scare me at all- I just think that we all choose who we love and then we have to live the consequence of that choice.

I don't know what to say about the Hospital thing, really the wishes of the patient should be honored. In my mind if they have made it clear what their wishes are in writing, then the hospitals and families should have to honor that. But you are in the same situation as you would be if you were an unmarried heterosexual couple.

Answer 10

I support gay marriage 100%! Screw "civil unions". Separate but "equal" my big toe. Marriage is a LEGAL contract between two consenting adults. Period. Yes many people chose to have a religious ceremony to formalize that, but it is no way required to make it legally binding. The government has NO business dictating who can and can not marry as long as all involved are consenting adults. If your church doesn't want to perform the ceremony, the fine, they don't have to. But as far as the LEGAL part is concerned, no one has a right to deny you.