Hi, this is my first post in the politics and news sub forum, so take it easy on me 
In popular culture, being against gay marriage is often perceived to be associated with bigotry. Love is love after all, and who but the most unreasonable (or bigoted) person would wish to prohibit two consenting adults from publically declaring their love for one another?
Gay marriage is an issue that I have often struggled with. I'm a married 28 yr old first generation American, and the overwhelming majority of the people of my parents' home country are vehemently anti-gay. In fact, my parents are vehemently anti-gay as well, and as you would expect, this shaped my views on the matter considerably; particularly when I was younger and more impressionable.
However, as I made my way through the World, I met a few gays and realized that for the most part, they are just like most other people in their desire to lead a happy and fulfilling life, and to seek out love and commited relationships.
It was this realization that prompted me to rethink my previously held views that homosexuality is inherently immoral and decadent, something to be shunned and held in contempt.
I also researched the nature of homosexuality (orientation, not behaviour), and came to the conclusion that it is a biologically inspired innate condition (like heterosexuality), and not something that comes about through conscious decision or choice.. The Scientific evidence I uncovered in support of that conclusion was pretty clear in that regard..
This discovery reaffirmed my decision to discard the admittedly bigoted views of my parents, because disliking gays when you believe they chose to be gay is far easier than disliking them when you KNOW there was no choice.
However, after all this reflection, I still admittedly cannot find it in myself to support gay marriage or gay adoption. I don't know if it was because I was raised to be anti-gay and thus I'm clinging to the old ways, or perhaps, I have found logical and valid reasons to be against homosexual marriage that have nothing to do with bigotry.
I am not a religious man, so faith has no part in my decision to oppose gay marriage. However, I am not certain whether bigotry if a factor or not.
I will now state my reasons for opposing gay marriage, so you can see whether my arguements hold any sort of logical validity or not...
First off, let me state that Marriage as an institution is not only practically universal throughout the human experience, but is VERY old as well. It pre-dates recorded history in fact, and thus, pre-dates organized religions.
Many gay marriage supporters erroneously believe that homosexuality was held in a more positive light (even celebrated) before the advent of organized religion. Yet, I have discovered that this simply wasn't the case.
Even in cultures that were tolerant of homosexuality, ie Ancient Greece, Rome etc, there were many stipulations involved when it came to same sex relationships. For example, while pederasty was allowable in ancient Greek culture (with certain restrictions), sexual relationships between adult men were in fact, frowned upon.
One of Plato's famous comments stated how barbarians (non Greek cultures?) regarded homosexuality was shameful. The exact quote:
Men were expected to one day marry and father children thus fulfilling their familial and societal obligations. In light of this, sexual relationships between adult men were to be discouraged as it was harmful to Society.
Pederasty on the other hand, mitigated this view because boys were not men, and since casual sexual relationships between men and women were prohibited, boys were apparently the next best choice.. Their masculinity could never be compromised from being penetrated by another man or assuming the feminine role, thus there was no shame.
Modern day Afghanistan, like many other sexually repressed cultures, exhibits this same archaic view in which pederasty is allowed (see bacha bazi), but homosexuality between adult men is severely frowned upon.
Any way, my point is to disabuse the reader of any misconceptions he or she may have concerning the notion that homosexuality was well tolerated before the advent of organized religion. There were a few exceptions to be sure, but generally speaking, homosexuality has always been seen as abnormal and as such, historical examples of same sex marriages are extremely rare.
But just because something is historically rare or unacceptable, does not mean it should always be so, and vice versa.
Gay marriage as of now, has been legalized in several countries World wide (mostly in Europe) and several states in the U.S. More than perhaps any previous time in human history, same sex relationships are held in similar regard to heterosexual relationships..
But are they the same?
No.
Only a fool would say that same sex relationships and heterosexual relationships are the same. How could they be, when men and women are intrinsically different from one another..
But yet, gay marriage supporters are saying that gay relationships should be viewed as EQUAL to heterosexual relationships, and thus worthy of marriage.
I could not disagree more. Marriage aside, Civilization/Society is the direct result of male and female sexual union. All of us, no matter whether we are straight or gay, black or white, were born from the union of a man and a woman. Every human being can trace their blood line tens of thousands of years into the past.
So for humanity to continue to exist, sexual relationships between men and women is absolutely essential, of which marriage facilitates by binding the man and woman together legally and socially.. Children cannot be created via gay relationships however, and so homosexual relationships are not absolutely essential to the survival of the human race.
So what of it you may say? The World is already over populated, and besides, not every heterosexual relationship/marriage results in children. True.. But providing a stable and beneficial environment for raising children is only one of the beneficial aspects of marriage.
The other, is to foster the mutual respect and cooperation between the two sexes.
This is extremely important, because women comprise half of the human population, yet throughout much of human history, have been relegated to being second class citizens with far less privileges and rights than men.
A cooperative bond between men and women is essential to the well being of ANY Civilization, because that bond is the engine that drives Civilization onward and the stronger it is, the greater the Civilization becomes.
Suffice to say, the prevalence or popularity of homosexuality, is typically inversely proportional to the regard in which a Society esteems women; as seen in cultures like Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.
So thats the gist of what my entire arguement pends upon. That heterosexual marriage offers benefits to the entire human race that put it head and shoulders above homosexual relationships, and thus homosexual relationships cannot in any way be held as equal to heterosexual ones.
To pretend that heterosexual relationships and gay relationships are equal, is to pretend that men are simply bigger versions of women, and women are simply smaller versions of men.
Thats not to say however that gays cannot benefit from being married, or benefit Society via marriage; because they can.
All I'm saying, is that gay relationships are fundamentally UNEQUAL to heterosexual relationships, and as such, are unworthy of the same regard..
In popular culture, being against gay marriage is often perceived to be associated with bigotry. Love is love after all, and who but the most unreasonable (or bigoted) person would wish to prohibit two consenting adults from publically declaring their love for one another?
Gay marriage is an issue that I have often struggled with. I'm a married 28 yr old first generation American, and the overwhelming majority of the people of my parents' home country are vehemently anti-gay. In fact, my parents are vehemently anti-gay as well, and as you would expect, this shaped my views on the matter considerably; particularly when I was younger and more impressionable.
However, as I made my way through the World, I met a few gays and realized that for the most part, they are just like most other people in their desire to lead a happy and fulfilling life, and to seek out love and commited relationships.
It was this realization that prompted me to rethink my previously held views that homosexuality is inherently immoral and decadent, something to be shunned and held in contempt.
I also researched the nature of homosexuality (orientation, not behaviour), and came to the conclusion that it is a biologically inspired innate condition (like heterosexuality), and not something that comes about through conscious decision or choice.. The Scientific evidence I uncovered in support of that conclusion was pretty clear in that regard..
This discovery reaffirmed my decision to discard the admittedly bigoted views of my parents, because disliking gays when you believe they chose to be gay is far easier than disliking them when you KNOW there was no choice.
However, after all this reflection, I still admittedly cannot find it in myself to support gay marriage or gay adoption. I don't know if it was because I was raised to be anti-gay and thus I'm clinging to the old ways, or perhaps, I have found logical and valid reasons to be against homosexual marriage that have nothing to do with bigotry.
I am not a religious man, so faith has no part in my decision to oppose gay marriage. However, I am not certain whether bigotry if a factor or not.
I will now state my reasons for opposing gay marriage, so you can see whether my arguements hold any sort of logical validity or not...
First off, let me state that Marriage as an institution is not only practically universal throughout the human experience, but is VERY old as well. It pre-dates recorded history in fact, and thus, pre-dates organized religions.
Many gay marriage supporters erroneously believe that homosexuality was held in a more positive light (even celebrated) before the advent of organized religion. Yet, I have discovered that this simply wasn't the case.
Even in cultures that were tolerant of homosexuality, ie Ancient Greece, Rome etc, there were many stipulations involved when it came to same sex relationships. For example, while pederasty was allowable in ancient Greek culture (with certain restrictions), sexual relationships between adult men were in fact, frowned upon.
One of Plato's famous comments stated how barbarians (non Greek cultures?) regarded homosexuality was shameful. The exact quote:
Men were expected to one day marry and father children thus fulfilling their familial and societal obligations. In light of this, sexual relationships between adult men were to be discouraged as it was harmful to Society.
Pederasty on the other hand, mitigated this view because boys were not men, and since casual sexual relationships between men and women were prohibited, boys were apparently the next best choice.. Their masculinity could never be compromised from being penetrated by another man or assuming the feminine role, thus there was no shame.
Modern day Afghanistan, like many other sexually repressed cultures, exhibits this same archaic view in which pederasty is allowed (see bacha bazi), but homosexuality between adult men is severely frowned upon.
Any way, my point is to disabuse the reader of any misconceptions he or she may have concerning the notion that homosexuality was well tolerated before the advent of organized religion. There were a few exceptions to be sure, but generally speaking, homosexuality has always been seen as abnormal and as such, historical examples of same sex marriages are extremely rare.
But just because something is historically rare or unacceptable, does not mean it should always be so, and vice versa.
Gay marriage as of now, has been legalized in several countries World wide (mostly in Europe) and several states in the U.S. More than perhaps any previous time in human history, same sex relationships are held in similar regard to heterosexual relationships..
But are they the same?
No.
Only a fool would say that same sex relationships and heterosexual relationships are the same. How could they be, when men and women are intrinsically different from one another..
But yet, gay marriage supporters are saying that gay relationships should be viewed as EQUAL to heterosexual relationships, and thus worthy of marriage.
I could not disagree more. Marriage aside, Civilization/Society is the direct result of male and female sexual union. All of us, no matter whether we are straight or gay, black or white, were born from the union of a man and a woman. Every human being can trace their blood line tens of thousands of years into the past.
So for humanity to continue to exist, sexual relationships between men and women is absolutely essential, of which marriage facilitates by binding the man and woman together legally and socially.. Children cannot be created via gay relationships however, and so homosexual relationships are not absolutely essential to the survival of the human race.
So what of it you may say? The World is already over populated, and besides, not every heterosexual relationship/marriage results in children. True.. But providing a stable and beneficial environment for raising children is only one of the beneficial aspects of marriage.
The other, is to foster the mutual respect and cooperation between the two sexes.
This is extremely important, because women comprise half of the human population, yet throughout much of human history, have been relegated to being second class citizens with far less privileges and rights than men.
A cooperative bond between men and women is essential to the well being of ANY Civilization, because that bond is the engine that drives Civilization onward and the stronger it is, the greater the Civilization becomes.
Suffice to say, the prevalence or popularity of homosexuality, is typically inversely proportional to the regard in which a Society esteems women; as seen in cultures like Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.
So thats the gist of what my entire arguement pends upon. That heterosexual marriage offers benefits to the entire human race that put it head and shoulders above homosexual relationships, and thus homosexual relationships cannot in any way be held as equal to heterosexual ones.
To pretend that heterosexual relationships and gay relationships are equal, is to pretend that men are simply bigger versions of women, and women are simply smaller versions of men.
Thats not to say however that gays cannot benefit from being married, or benefit Society via marriage; because they can.
All I'm saying, is that gay relationships are fundamentally UNEQUAL to heterosexual relationships, and as such, are unworthy of the same regard..
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