Do you support gay marriages Yes/No?

Should two free people have the right to enter into whatever kind of voluntary relationship they want. However, many of the things that are meant by "marriage" especially in the legal frame work, are violations of the natural law tax rates and social security benefits just to name two things.

I have no problem with a union between two same gender consenting adults. I just don't feel it should be called "marriage". I don't know another word for it, but i think it sould be called something else.

In my mind, the best way to fix this issue is to take the word "marriage" out of government issues, and let everyone have civil unions. Let the word "marriage" be handled by the churches which can associate it any way they choose.

And I'm bisexual, if it matters here.

why should any one be allow to tell others how to live their life. as long as they are not stealing or hurting any one leave them alone. the key word is free people how can they be free if others are dictating to them what they can and can not do just cause it offens them.

It does not infringe on my life, liberty, or pursuit of happiness, so yes, I believe it is constitutional and should be legal. I support gay marriage.

I do not agree with the lifestyle, however.

None of my business, nor of the governments. However, if the government offers benefits they should apply to all or none.

Preferably none.

Gay marriages should have all the rights of other marriages. There really is no way to justify not giving them their full rights... I mean, even if you disagree with them, it's their business - let them live their life.

Yes, I support gay marriages as long as they are not trying to force Clergymen, Ministers, Pastors, or Priests to married them.

Yes and other people should mind there own business when it comes to other peoples' relationships/feelings!

And people who bring up the Bible, the Bible states NOT to judge people!!!!!!!!

yes. it's between 2 consenting adults. to anti-gay-marriage follks, how does someone else's marriage concern you?

I totally support someone marrying anyone they please. And I think a Gay couple should have all the same rights/benefits as any strait couple.

I support equal rights for everyone!

Absolutely not.

I don't care, they can do what they want, I don't see why I should stop them or allow them.

I support equal rights.

No, not at all.

No God said it was wrong, It says so in the bible. I don't think its right in any way shape or form.

I support it...but I'm not lesbian. People should marry who they like.

don't agree with it.

Ask just about anyone. They'll all tell you they're in favor of equal rights for homosexuals. Just name the situation, and ask. They'll all say, yes, gays should have the same rights in housing, jobs, public accomodations, and should have equal access to government benefits, equal protection of the law, etcetera, etcetera.

Then you get to gay marriage.

And that's when all this talk of equality stops dead cold.

More than half of all people in the United States oppose gay marriage, even though three fourths are otherwise supportive of gay rights. This means that many of the same people who are even passionately in favor of gay rights oppose gays on this one issue.

Why all the passion?

It's because there is a lot of misunderstanding about what homosexuality really is, as well as the erroneous assumption that gay people enjoy the same civil rights protections as everyone else. There are also a lot of stereotypes about gay relationships, and even a great deal of misunderstanding of what marriage itself is all about and what its purpose is.

The purpose of this essay, then, is to clear up a few of these misunderstandings and discuss some of facts surrounding gay relationships and marriage, gay and straight.

First, let's discuss what gay relationships are really all about. The stereotype has it that gays are promiscuous, unable to form lasting relationships, and the relationships that do form are shallow and uncommitted. And gays do have such relationships!

But the important fact to note is that just like in straight society, where such relationships also exist, they are a small minority, and exist primarily among the very young. Indeed, one of the most frequent complaints of older gay men is that it is almost impossible to find quality single men to get into a relationship with, because they're already all 'taken!'

If you attend any gay event, such as a Pride festival or a PFLAG convention, you'll find this to be true. As gays age and mature, just like their straight cohorts, they begin to appreciate and find their way into long-term committed relationships.

The values that such gay couples exhibit in their daily lives are often indistinguishable from those of their straight neighbors. They're loyal to their mates, are monogamous, devoted partners. They value and participate in family life, are committed to making their neighborhoods and communities safer and better places to live, and honor and abide by the law. Many make valuable contributions to their communities, serving on school boards, volunteering in community charities, and trying to be good citizens. In doing so, they take full advantage of their relationship to make not only their own lives better, but those of their neighbors as well.

A benefit to heterosexual society of gay marriage is the fact that the commitment of a marriage means the participants are discouraged from promiscous sex. This has the advantage of slowing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, which know no sexual orientation and are equal opportunity destroyers.

These benefits of gay marriage have changed the attitudes of the majority of people in Denmark and other countries where various forms of gay marriage have been legal for years. Polling results now show that most people there now recognize that the benefits far outweigh the trivial costs, and that far from threatening heterosexual marriage, gay marriage has actually strenghtened it.

So, having established the value of gay marriage, why are people so opposed to it?

Many of the reasons offered for opposing gay marriage are based on the assumption that gays have a choice in who they can feel attracted to, and the reality is quite different. Many people actually believe that gays could simply choose to be heterosexual if they wished. But the reality is that very few do have a choice -- any more than very few heterosexuals could choose which sex to find themselves attracted to.

Additionally, many people continue to believe the propaganda from right-wing religious organizations that homosexuality is about nothing but sex, considering it to be merely a sexual perversion. The reality is that homosexuality is multidimensional, and is much more about love and affection than it is about sex. And this is what gay relationships are based on -- mutual attraction, love and affection. Sex, in a committed gay relationship, is merely a means of expressing that love, just the same as it is for heterosexuals. Being gay is much more profound than simply a sexual relationship; being gay is part of that person's core indentity, and goes right the very center of his being. It's like being black in a society of whites, or a blonde European in a nation of black-haired Asians. Yes, being gay is just that profound to the person who is. This is something that few heterosexuals can understand unless they are part of a minority themselves.


The Arguments Against Gay Marriage
Well, of course there are a