Five Worst Anti-Gay Arguments

Anti-gay and anti-gay marriage comments are nothing new. Many are, and continue to be, meritless arguments. Recently, dot429 posted a picture (below) to its Facebook page.  Since its posting, there have been over 6,000 comments- most positive, and others…not so much.

After reading through some of the negative comments, I decided to make a list (and comment on) of my five most annoying posts (all of which were posted multiple times, by different people).

Homosexuality is not “natural”: It’s hard arguing with ridiculous, but I love a good challenge, – so here goes: One can argue that virtually everything we do is “unnatural,” at least as it relates to the rest of the species we share the earth with. Clothing, cars, eyeglasses, monogamy, and marriage (yes, I’m going there) are things HUMANS “do” which are “unnatural.”

Merriam-Webster defines unnatural as: not being in accordance with nature.

I don’t know about you, but when is the last time you’ve seen any other species of animal (in it’s natural habitat) wearing clothes, eyeglasses, or driving cars?

As for monogamy, I know this might shock you, but there are only 11 species (other than human) that are monogamous or close to it:  Five mammals, a fish, a lizard, and four birds.  To put this into context, there are approximately 1.3 million identified species of animals, making the percentage of monogamous animals roughly .0009%; none of which get married.

I guess by virtue of this argument, one could conclude that marriage is as unnatural as homosexuality.

Homosexual couples cannot reproduce: While this may be true, neither can approximately 16% of heterosexual couples. Should we seek to limit the rights/devalue the self-worth of this subset of Americans who are medically infertile?

Even though gay couples (and a portion of straight couples) are unable to reproduce, there is one important thing they can do: they can provide loving homes for the 150,000+ children put up for adoption each year- children born to heterosexual parents who are unable or unwilling to raise their own children.

The Bible states that homosexuality is wrong: Last I read, there is no clear verse that reads:  “Homosexuality is wrong.” It does have a verse or two that may imply it, but it’s vague at best. And those that claim it does are probably looking through the lens of a confirmation bias.

If I had to guess (and yes, this is a guess), God would have been more clear about the topic of being gay if He (or She, [yes, I also went there]) were truly against it.)

However, several things the Bible clearly outlines as sin which are still legal and/or accepted are: divorce, pre-marital sex, casting judgment on others, adultery, and “Sunday-fun-day.”

Hate to ruin your Sunday folks, but the Bible is so clear about Sunday being a day of rest and the “Lords day” that it’s even one of the Ten Commandments. I don’t think God anticipated people using “his day” for binge drinking, NASCAR, or football (another guess).

God made Adam & Eve, not Adam & Steve: Anyone who uses this argument to justify their anti-gay sentiments is not worth talking to. Turn around, walk away, and don’t look back. Normally, stupidity is not contagious. However, in extreme cases like this, it’s not worth the chance. Entertaining this argument might actually be a sin itself. Approach with caution.

Allowing gays to marry will cause the American society to collapse: This is an old argument, which has been used before. It was used when justifying slavery, banning interracial marriages, and when minorities were denied the right to vote. Last I checked, society is better off since ending those policies; and I’m almost certain that the Roman, Grecian, and the Mayan empires didn’t fall because of gay relationships.

The point of my rant is this: If you don’t agree with same-sex relationships, then don’t be in one. If you don’t agree with gay marriage, then don’t marry someone of the same sex.

If you don’t want to vote in favor of gay marriage, then don’t; but quit with the failed logic and nonsensical arguments. I accept the fact that America is a democratic society and people are free to vote however they like.

If you are one of the dwindling people adamantly opposed to gay rights, there are a few things you should keep in mind: 1) You’re going to be on the losing side of history; 2) Your reasoning, religious or not, is flawed and is in most cases hypocritical; 3) There are, or will be, gay people in your life. At some point you will have to accept that being gay is not a choice, and that gays and their relationships are not going to disappear.

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As Promised, Christie Vetoed Gay Marriage Bill

Last Friday, Gov. Christie made good on his promise by vetoing the bill which would have legalized gay marriage.  Christie stated, “An issue of this magnitude and importance, which requires a constitutional amendment, should be left to the people of New Jersey to decide.”

The governor’s veto was conditional, asking the State Legislature to amend the bill, so that rather than legalizing same-sex marriages, it would establish an overseer to handle complaints that the state’s five-year-old civil union law did not provide gay and lesbian couples the same protections that marriage would.

___________________________________________________________________________________

I have sent the following email to Governor Christie, feel free to reuse it if you’d like:

Dear Gov Christie,

By vetoing gay marriage, you’ve attempted to make a class of people (whose personal life affect you in no way), feel bad or “less-equal” because they’re gay.

Here’s an idea, worry about the fact that you’re at least 100lbs overweight which, DOES affect others in the form of increased health insurance premiums.

You wanna make change? Join our First Lady and encourage responsible dieting and exercising. People will live longer and health insurance premiums for everyone will decrease.

Stay out of my personal life, who I want to marry has nothing to do with you.

Very truly yours,

Bill Hansen

 

Canadian gay marriages of foreigners on trial

The Canadian government is arguing before a judge that marriages of gay foreigners are invalid if illegal in their home state.

The case involves two women who wish to divorce, who married in Toronto in 2005. Canadian government lawyers are arguing that they can’t divorce because their marriage was never valid. The lawyers contend that the marriages of gay foreigners are only valid if they are valid in the gay couple’s home jurisdiction. Since the women live in Florida and England, where gay marriage isn’t permitted, they were never legally married.

Since 2005, when Canada legalized gay marriage, 20,000 weddings have been performed, 5,000 of which were between foreigners.

If the judge rules in favor of the government, gay marriages of foreigners where it wasn’t permitted in their home jurisdiction would be invalid.

Martha McCarthy, the lawyer representing the two women, said, “It is scandalous. It is offensive to their dignity and human rights to suggest they weren’t married or that they have something that is a nullity.”

McCarthy says, “It is appalling and outrageous that two levels of government would be taking this position without ever having raised it before, telling anybody it was an issue or doing anything pro-active about it.”

dot429.com / http://dot429.com/articles/

Gay Couples Pay More Taxes

For those of you who believe Civil Unions provide the same rights as marriage, here is another example proving, they unfortunately do not (Re-post from CNN.com).

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Same-sex spouses are paying as much as $6,000 a year in extra taxes because the federal government doesn’t recognize gay marriage, according to an analysis conducted for CNNMoney by tax specialists.

While marriage provides tax benefits for many heterosexual couples, same-sex families don’t enjoy the same perks because they are not allowed to file their federal returns jointly.

The imbalance persists despite increasing acceptance of gay marriage as a legal right. More than 12 states now grant full or partial marriage rights to same-sex couples, and a recent Gallup poll showed — for the first time — that a majority of Americans favor gay marriage.

But not the federal government, which is constrained by the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. Even as more same-sex couples are able to file jointly at the state level, they are still forced to file as single when submitting federal returns to the IRS.

This means they can’t combine their income and deductions to take advantage of lower tax rates. It’s also harder for them to qualify for certain tax breaks because the credits phase out sooner for single filers.

State tax changes on the way in 2012

“It’s costing these families thousands of dollars a year, as well as the emotional pain and suffering,” said Ken Weissenberg, a partner at accounting firm EisnerAmper who is in a same-sex marriage himself.

Why gay couples pay more: To zero in on the tax bill gap between same-sex families across the country, CNNMoney asked H&R Block to crunch number comparing same-sex and heterosexual families according to a variety of scenarios. (Check out H&R Block’s methodology)

One scenario involved families with one spouse earning $100,000 and the other spouse staying at home with the family’s two kids.

In the same-sex family’s case, the working spouse files as “head of household,” and the stay-at-home spouse is considered a “qualifying relative.”

Say that couple reported no other income or deductions. In that case, the same-sex household’s federal tax bill is $15,199, which includes tax the head of household must pay on health insurance premiums to cover the stay-at-home spouse. That’s $4,543 higher than the straight couple’s liability.

Why? Because the “head of household” designation comes with some disadvantages.

Filing as “head of household” instead of “married filing jointly” exposes more income to a higher tax bracket. Plus, standard deductions, which are given based on the filing status to taxpayers who don’t itemize deductions, are lower for a head of household than they are for married couples filing jointly.

And then there are the kids. When a child tax credit is claimed, the gap between same-sex households and married couples can grow even wider.

The heterosexual couple in H&R Block’s example is able to claim the full $1,000 child tax credit for each kid. But the credit phases out sooner for families claiming “head of household.” So in this case, the cost of being unable to file jointly comes out to $6,043 for same-sex households.

The one exception where same-sex spouses can actually come out ahead is the so-called marriage penalty. For some same-sex spouses in the higher tax brackets who work and have no children, filing tax returns using the “single” status makes the liability a little lower than that of heterosexual married couples. Still, “single” status is typically less advantageous than “married filing jointly.”

They tried to deduct what?!

Other factors driving up the bill: It’s not just income taxes that are costing same-sex couples more.

Many same-sex spouses don’t qualify for the same marital exemptions given to other families for inheritance taxes and gift taxes. In addition, same-sex households receive lower tax exclusions for capital gains on the sales of a home (unless the home is jointly owned and each spouse qualifies for the exclusion).

All of this is not only costing same-sex couples more, but it’s a paperwork and compliance nightmare.

Same-sex families who live in states where gay marriage is recognized typically have to fill out up to four separate returns — including mock federal returns – to cover both their state and federal taxes. Plus, hiring a tax preparer to take on these more complicated returns tends to be significantly more expensive.

“But it shouldn’t stop anyone from getting married,” said Weissenberg, who says he pays an extra $5,000 in taxes per year simply because he is in a same-sex marriage. “If I had to pay twice as much in taxes to be married to my husband, I would.”

To view this story on CNN.com, Click Here

Ex-EQCA staffer leads Love Honor Cherish

Eric is a great friend of mine and I’m glad to see he’s taken over the fight for gay couples to marry in California.

Good things wills surely come.

This story was written for/by dot429.com

Eric Harrison leverages two decades of non-profit experience as he works to get same-sex marriage back on the ballot.
He’s your classic do-gooder. After sleeping under a canopy of bats in Madagascar during a two-year stint in the PeaceCorps, Eric Harrison, 34, moved to San Francisco where he served as vice president of development for United Way of the Wine Country before joining Equality California as its development director in 2009.

Recently, Harrison left Equality California to take the reigns as interim executive director of Love Honor Cherish, an organization launched in May 2008 to the repeal Proposition 8 in the next general election in November 2012.

It’s an uphill battle, he knows, but he’s ready and he thinks California is ready.

“I’m inspired by people who are able to see light through adversity,” Harrison said. Certainly, he’s one of those people, too, as he tackles this hot-button issue.

The Minneapolis native devoured Anne Frank growing up, which helped hone his look-for-the-silver-lining disposition. “I believe in equality and I think that marriage equality is a giant stepping stone in that pursuit,” he said.

Conversation, Harrison said, is the key to winning the hearts and minds of those who oppose LGBT rights.

“Geoff Kors [former executive director of EQCA] taught me this and it’s in the spirit of Harvey Milk. I talk to everyone at all times about LGBT equality. Cab drivers, people in line at the store and on the plane,” he said. “Once, I was flying and I chatted up this guy from Orange County. When I told him what I did for work, he froze up.

“After awhile, he said, ‘I just want you to know, I didn’t really realize what I voted for in 2008 and I know now that it was wrong.’ It’s about connecting to what we have in common and not what we don’t. You don’t demand commonality, you expose it.”

Exposing common ground is priority No. 1 at Love Honor Cherish. The organization empowers members “to use their own talents and skills to advance the freedom to marry,” he said. “After Prop 8 passed, we began working immediately to secure its repeal by means of a new ballot proposition because we recognized that we lost Prop 8 by a very small margin, that we could win California if we did the work needed, and that the court system — although the courts should rule in our favor — works very slowly and there’s no guarantee of success.”

Working closely with other organizations, Love Honor Cherish partnered with Equality California to hold a series of town halls around the state to discuss whether to go to the ballot in November 2012.

“The result of those town halls was an overwhelming consensus that we should gather signatures and be prepared to go to the ballot in 2012, if marriages haven’t resumed in California by April,” Harrison said. “Love Honor Cherish has also worked closely with other organizations to have the vital, heart-to-heart conversations with California voters that have resulted in the majority of Californians now favoring the freedom to marry.”

The conversations should be easy, he says, because we all share the same value of commitment, even while we express it differently. “Who doesn’t relate to dating, frustration, laughter, love, death and sharing all of that with the person you want to commit to from start to finish?”

Harrison says that’s how we’re going to connect outside of the LGBT community, but there are still connections that need to be made within the LGBT community.

“We need to stand proud and be willing to share these very experiences openly,” he said. “I have many gay friends who have not come out to their parents, shy away from public affection or keep their sexuality hidden from certain family members. Be proud and fearless.”

While Harrison thinks a judicial restoration of the right to marry in California would be great, a referendum would be better as it “would forever debunk the claim that the majority of people will not vote for marriage equality. This is one of the major arguments that our opponents make in courts and legislatures against us,” he said. “We’ve progressed so much since 2008, and I believe that Californians will make it right.”

On the state and federal level, there are a number of liberal leaders who don’t like using the word marriage, Harrison thinks it’s the only word to use.

“Federal domestic partnerships sound great in theory, but at the end of the day (and the opposition would say this), it’s not marriage and thus not equal,” he said. “Marriage equality is important to me because it’s a right of passage that my brother and sister have that I do not. My father is a retired, Southern Baptist minister, so I grew up seeing a lot of marriages and also living in shame.”

The holiday season is a time when this inequality really hits home for Harrison, “I’m saddened around the holidays when I go home and see the way that my father embraces my sister and brother-in-law and know that the same affection would not be extended to my partner,” he said. “Although, I took him to see ‘Milk’ when it first came out and was scared to death by his reaction, I turned to look at his face at the end of the movie and tears were rolling down his cheeks. Like our president, he’s evolving. At the end of the day, we’re on the same page, we value commitment.”

With 11 months until the election, Love Honor Cherish is in high gear. “We are preparing to begin signature gathering to qualify an initiative to repeal Prop 8 with our coalition partners,” he said. “Although we are confident that we can gather a significant number of signatures through our dedicated volunteers, we really need people to step forward and write major checks to ensure that we qualify an initiative and make history. If we don’t, it may be years before loving gay and lesbian couples can marry in California.”

It’s more important that ever as same-sex marriage powerhouse Equality California struggles with the resignation of longtime leader Geoff Kors and the quick departure of his replacement Roland Palencia. Former GLAAD executive director Joan Garry has stepped in as interim head of EQCA as they search for a new leader.

“Marriage equality simply cannot wait as Equality California rebuilds,” he said. “There is a void in leadership and that is why Love Honor Cherish took the bold step in hiring me as its first full-time staffer.”

Harrison can see the light at the end of the tunnel. He’s confident that he can lead California to same-sex marriage and common ground.

For more information, visit LoveHonorCherish.org or email Eric Harrison directly at eric@lovehonorcherish.org

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