| I haven't seen much better logic from the other part. It's not just a political view, they're taking away our rights! If restricting the privileges of marriage to a group of people makes those left out "second class human beings", then the correct answer is to abolish marriage. No, seriously. If this is truly a civil rights issue, then marriage itself (or, rather, its sanctioning by the state, with all the attendant privileges for married people and corresponding burdens on the community) is an inherently discriminatory institution. Fiscal benefits? Extended insurance? Visitation rights? Why should these privileges be enjoyed solely by married people? You can just get married if you want to enjoy those benefits! Yes, and gay people always had the option to marry someone of the opposite sex (in fact, many of them did). How is that a solution? Why am I required to be in a romantic/sexual relationship before I am granted my full rights? If I am unmarried, why can't I name my cousin as a dependent for health insurance? Why can't I have my best friend immigrate to the US to be with me, instead of a spouse I don't have? What if I plan to be celibate all my life, but have strong platonic relationships? What if I am a polygamist? The disestablishment of marriage should be the obvious conclusion to anyone who is truly approaching the issue with a concern for equality. The fact that nobody even seems to have considered it shows that, as usual, equality is just a buzzword, and this was really about a group advancing their own specific interests (and as long as they got what they wanted for themselves, screw everyone else). Which is ok, that's how politics usually works. But then, please drop the sanctimony and stop acting like you have the moral high ground. I am still paying higher taxes and getting less benefits because I do not conform to a state-sanctioned model of relationship, and you are my oppressor. |