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10/16/2006
Romney: This 'marriage is all about children' thing seems to be working, so I'll go with that
Well, the anti-gay "Liberty Sunday" soiree was held last night, and it seems to have been just as queer-demonizing as anticipated. The money words from the night seem to have come from Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who the AP covers by saying:
"Here in Massachusetts, activist judges struck a blow to the foundation of civilization - the family," Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, a likely presidential candidate, told an applauding crowd of about 1,000 people, some of whom responded with "Amen."
Romney, during his speech inside Tremont Temple Baptist Church, criticized the state’s highest court for its 2004 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
"What (the judges) ignored is that marriage is not primarily about adults; marriage is about the nurturing and development of children. ... Every child deserves a mother and a father," he said.
Hmm..you know why the judges "ignored is that marriage is not primarily about adults; marriage is about the nurturing and development of children?" Because marriage certificates don't legalize unions with the caveat that those unions produce children! Marriage is one thing; reproduction is another!
Saying that this legal, civil arrangement is all about a non-required by-product of the coupling is kind of like saying that one's obtaining of a driver's license is all about the the car, not the legal right. In reality, the person may just want to be recognized as a legal driver, and they might want the license solely for ID purposes. In fact, this New Yorker has a legal license AND a car, but he hasn't driven in four years. Doesn't make my license any less legal! And while it may sound insensitive or callous to compare a car to a human child, the comparison in this instance is quite apt. You can't deny one the ability to obtain any sort of civil permit or license simply because they don't utilize the legality in the way that you see proper!
The fact that this "marriage is all about children" argument is the main one that the religious right and certain courts are now using to deny marriage equality is, in our estimation, a sign of progress. It only takes a bit of rational analysis to see how fundamentally flawed such justification truly is. In the end, it is reasoning that is not only offensive to gay couples (many of whom can, do, or will have children), but to ANY couple who can't or doesn't want to have kids! What next, will we deny divorces because such matrimonial dissolutions could hurt the kids' psyches? Will we refuse business licenses to couples who are fully qualified and able out of fear that their new venture will affect their ability to effectively parent? Hunting licenses to parents out of fear that some of the gun-wielders may accidentally shoot their kid in the foot while stalking a deer? Where does the child protection end?!
We understand Evangelicals feel that a two parent, man/woman home is the most suitable environment for child-rearing. And you know what? THEY ARE FREE TO EXPRESS THOSE FEELINGS AS FULLY AS THEY WISH IN THEIR OWN LIVES!!!!! But we adamantly feel that their logic is FLAWED, FLAWED , FLAWED! But not only are we barred from living out our lives the way we FEEL best, we never would be so bold as to enforce our ideas onto their homes even if we could! This far-too-accepted, unconstitutional game of one-sided morality-pushing simply has to cease! After all, we have to protect our children...from theocracy.
Gay marriage foes rally in Boston [AP via Edge Boston]
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