t’s an old cliche that everybody’s heard and everybody understands… but maybe not as much as we should. I’ve made a habit, on my own personal Facebook page to talk about politics and various things that annoy me on a fairly regular basis, and the people in my life who agree with me like it and say so and those that don’t (which seem to be in the majority sometimes) sound off and tell me why I’m wrong. I know I’m not going to change anyone’s mind, so for the most part my opinions are preaching to the choir of people who already agree with me, and pissing off those who don’t. So why do it then if I already know I’m not going to change anyone’s mind? Why does anyone do it?
Why do people who are pro-life stand outside abortion clinics screaming at the top of their lungs? Why do people continue to run political campaigns on one issue or another? The answer can be found in President Obama’s 2008 campaign slogan.
Hope.
If you can change one person’s opinion about something, then there is hope.
A lot of my political rantings take the form of posts about gay marriage and gay rights because it’s an issue that directly effects me in a very real way. It isn’t just some political talking point that makes some people very upset, it’s a real issue that really effects people in ways that few really understand.
Not all that long ago there were those who suggested that gay people could have the same rights as married couples, but with a different name. This sounds good on paper, and maybe to some in the LGBT community that’s perfectly acceptable. But here’s why I think, it’s really not.
Words have meanings. Important, sometimes subtle meanings. Even sometimes multiple meanings. It’s why you don’t use words like fag, because they has a historical meaning that is offensive to people.
People are crying that you’d change the definition of marriage if you allow gay people to get married, but here’s the thing… the definition of words change all the time, and it varies from group to group.
In British idiom, Fag is a cigarette. Previously in English it also meant a bundle of sticks. Gay meant happy. So where did we go from those versions of acceptable usage to a pejorative to mean someone who is homosexual? Granted some of us are exceptionally happy people but I don’t think that’s it.
Is this fight really all about a word?
Yes and No. As I said, words have meanings, obviously people who are heterosexual understand that marriage has an important meaning. (Some, act like it’s some weird spell that if you alter the meaning somehow it will destroy their marriage). It’s so important that they want to keep it all to themselves. They go to ridiculous lengths to explain WHY it should not be changed. Because apparently to some, gay marriage is a gateway drug to beastality and polygamy. Frankly if you want to marry a goat or have six wives I could care less, because here’s the thing that doesn’t make anyone’s marriage any less real. If divorce doesn’t make people’s marriages less meaningful then why should my marrying another man? I’m not even asking for a church wedding. The separation of church and state is supposed to be pretty set in stone but that seems to be debatable.
I suppose it’s that old thing of people being scared of what they don’t understand. Some people simply don’t understand/believe that two men can love each other… but why they think that poses a danger to them I’ve never understood.
I’m married (to a wonderful woman!) but couldn’t care less if two men/women/goats also want to get married. Good luck: be happy!
The only way it poses a “danger”, is if married men would end up leaving their wives for other men because they were actually just closeted in the first place. I suspect if that we’re the case though, none would admit it.