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Wednesday, March 10, 2010 | 8:42am
SOUND OFF: Should Gay Marriage Be Legal?
As Washington D.C. legalizes same-sex unions it begs the question can Hip Hop support such causes
While I still struggle personally with the idea of homosexuality, I have always remained open to dialog about it. As an African American whose ancestors were deprived of their freedoms simply due to the color of thier skin I am sympathetic to some degree.
That said, the debate behind same sex marriages is quite a different beast and deals less in morality or beliefs about homosexuality than it does with redefining the ancient and some believe holy sacrament of marriage. So Tuesday the debate got a little more heated as sex-sex marriage advocates celebrated yet another victory as Washington, DC became just the six locale to allow gay couples to marry.
Same-sex couples were first able to apply for licenses March 3 but, like all couples, had to follow the city’s three-day waiting period before getting hitched.
Mayor Adrian Fenty, presided over the first such weddings saying they “were a great step forward for equality and for our city that has always been a standard-bearer for treating people equally and justly.”
How do you feel? SOUND OFF: Should Gay Marriage Be Legal?
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i will never understand what this nation is coming to, this nation was made with bibilcal laws and we as a nation need to get back to those laws(bible)! we are at our last days, with all the disasters that are happening, with all the hungrer this world is facing, you cannot tell me that this new law with same sex marriage is okay, it’s sick!GOD MADE ADAM AND EVE!
Like most straight guys, I feel the need to start by saying I’M STRAIGHT. So don’t read anything extra into my comments.
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My opinion on the issue has changed over the last few years. Where once I was against the idea, I am now in favor of same-sex marriage.
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I think the history of America has been a movement toward more freedom. In the beginning, only white land-owning men were allowed to have political power. Then we allowed all white men to vote, then we allowed black men to vote; and finally, in 1920, we allowed women to vote.
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At every step in this long process, there were people who stood up in opposition, claiming that the end of America (or even the world) would result from the change. (And we still have people who are afraid of all change, as the health care debate proves).
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Freedom is a good thing, especially when the only thing standing against freedom is the opinions of people who aren’t directly affected by the issue.
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In the old days, many people were opposed to inter-racial marriages. According to them, marriages between blacks and whites, or Jews and anyone else would destroy the fabric of American society. And yet, American society survived. And now, the product of such a mixed marriage is the President of the United States.
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While I am not gay myself, I have had several openly gay friends. Being the inquisitive person that I am, I have (on several occasions) asked them questions about their backgrounds, when they discovered they were gay, etc. In all cases I have found that they were gay the day they were born, and that they went through the same sexual awakening and development as straight people, only they were gay.
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I can remember the first time that I fixated on a woman. I had to have been only 4 or 5 years old, and I found the album cover for the Herb Alpert album ‘Whipped cream and other delights’. The cover is basically a naked woman, covered in nothing but whipped cream.
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At the time, I thought it was wrong for me to look at it, but I looked at it just the same because that’s what kids of that age do. I knew nothing about sexuality, all I knew is that I was fascinated by the partial glimpse of a woman’s breast.
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And yet, in talking to my gay friends, I hear of the same thing. Only in their case, they were fixating on members of the same sex. Homosexuality is genetic, it is not a choice. Almost no one wakes up one day and says ‘life isn’t tough enough, I think I’ll be gay’. They’re born that way. And to deny them a shot at happiness because of their genetic makeup would be as unfair as to say someone shouldn’t be allowed marriage because they are left-handed, or have blue eyes, or black skin.
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Love is hard enough to find in life. Love makes life worthwhile, and the lack of love is the root cause of nearly everything that is wrong in this world. I say let love win.
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The only exception I would make to this has to do with religious ceremony. If a faith is opposed to gay marriage, they should not be FORCED to perform the ceremony. There are enough religions out there that are cool with it that people shouldn’t have a problem finding a minister, but I don’t think you should force a 2000 year old religion to change their core beliefs just to please people who want to believe differently.
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Other than that, I say go for it.
i agree and that was very well put. its good to see that someone has taken the time to try to understand the gay comunity. a lot of people are so focused on the sexual aspect of it they forget that love is love. as a bisexual and multiracial woman i used to go through so much confusion, cause as you say you knew you liked women at 4 i was looking at both at that age. and as a teen it was harder. i don’t make a choice! to me its not just the lack of love and the acceptance of different forms of love that is detroying this country; its also greed ignorance and labels. everyone has to be white or black gay or straight. why can’t we just BE. thank-you for posting this and showing others that its ok to open your mind. opening your mind doesn’t mean you’ll ever fully understand, but better accept. opening yourl mind doesn’t mean you’ll become gay it just means that you can better accept gay people
Chelle I didn’t want to put it out there but thank you for contributing to the discussion.
not a problem Juan…I’m proud of who I am and what I like
That was very Democratic of you Malcolm. I think your last paragraph however speaks to the root of the MARRIAGE part of the issue. I don’t think for the most part anyway, the actual recognition of matrimony is the issue its being able to have the ceremony in a church and more importantly the legal ramifications. Being able to make life/death decisions should your mate get ill. Being able to be entitled to health benefits from your partners job etc etc. I think the issue is political as much as it moral. Some companies are against Gay Marriage just because it would mean they’d need to shell out more money to match benefits.
i agree with both of you gentlemen, on the religious side of the things, Mike you are right Adam and Eve was created for a reason, a Man and Woman, Sperm and Egg, it all makes sense and i believe God did that for a reason….Marriage should be between a Man and Woman, Marriage>sex>kids, that is what God says…
i also strongly feel everyone is equal… Male,female,straight,gay… who am I or the dude on the corner or Obama to say you can’t be happy and have the same rights…
So, i’m saying Morally i’m against it, but i would never stop or judge another persons happiness
I fail to also mention that i’m not in any position to judge, i’m not perfect, i have faults, i’m not saying that all gay people needs to be put to death, i have friends and know people that are gay and are very good people.I just don’t believe in same-sex marriage.
While I entirely accept a persons’ right to have a moral objection to homosexuality or gay marriage on biblical grounds, it does raise a few issues:
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What about the over 3 billion people in this world who don’t practice a Judeo-Christian religion? To these people, the bible holds no moral authority; so basing government policy on the bible holds the moral equivalent of basing laws on the Koran. How would we feel if Shari law was suddenly in place here in the United States?
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The first amendment of the constitution, which protects my right to freely exercise my Christian beliefs also protects my neighbor from having my beliefs forced on them. While I agree that the United States was founded almost entirely by Christians and on Christian beliefs, we must be VERY careful not to put religious tests on our laws.
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And at serious risk of offending my Christian and Jewish brothers, I have to ask: why are we selectively enforcing bibilical laws? We point to the bibilical prohibition against homosexuality, but what about Leviticus 19:19 which bars us from mixing cotton and wool in our clothing; or Leviticus 19:27 which prohibits a man from cutting the corner of his beard?
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I believe that faith is about an individual relationship between a person and God. I think that we get ourselves in trouble when we start measuring others by our own moral standards. (or when they start to measure us by theirs). Remember the story of the garden… the apple did not bring evil…. The sin was eating the fruit which taught man the KNOWLEDGE of good and evil. (the discerning by humans of what is evil and not evil, as opposed to acts which may or may not be evil of themselves).
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I know that last one sounds crazy, but this opinion is even backed up biblically in Romans 14:14 which states: ‘I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean”
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This is why, for example, the Catholic Church requires three simultaneous things in order for a sin to be committed: the act, the knowledge that the act is wrong, and the willingness to do the act knowing it’s wrong.
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So, if I believe that stepping on the crack in the sidewalk is a sin, and I do it anyway, I have sinned. If I don’t believe it is a sin and I do it, it is not a sin.
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Which is why my position is that gay marriage should be legal, as long as religious denominations that are opposed to it are not FORCED to perform the ceremony. It’s really the only way that is constitutionally sound, allows for religious beliefs and objections, and doesn’t impose one persons religious beliefs on another without their consent.
I’m going to take it back to yard to answer this…no chichi terrorism. check out the laws in Jamaica…
Article 76 (Unnatural Crime)
“Whosoever shall be convicted of the abominable crime of buggery [anal intercourse] committed either with mankind or with any animal, shall be liable to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour for a term not exceeding ten years.”
Article 77 (Attempt)
“Whosoever shall attempt to commit the said abominable crime, or shall be guilty of any assault with intent to commit the same, or of any indecent assault upon any male person, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour, and being convicted thereof shall be liable to be imprisoned for a term not exceeding seven years, with or without hard labour.”
Article 78 (Proof of Carnal Knowledge)
“Whenever upon the trial of any offence punishable under this Act, it may be necessary to prove carnal knowledge, it shall not be necessary to prove the actual emission of seed in order to constitute a carnal knowledge, but the carnal knowledge shall be deemed complete upon proof of penetration only.”
Article 79 (Outrages on Decency)
“Any male person who, in public or private, commits, or is a party to the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and being convicted thereof shall be liable at the discretion of the court to be imprisoned for a term not exceeding 2 years, with or without hard labour.”
Is that what the Staten Island Code says too? Lol.
Good thing this is America and not Jamaica. What are the laws regarding pre-marital sex and adultery?
Quality comment^ Jamaica and their boogery laws are a whole other beast.
Quoting Malcolm
“Love is hard enough to find in life. Love makes life worthwhile, and the lack of love is the root cause of nearly everything that is wrong in this world. I say let love win.”
Amen!!
I say if you find someone you love genuinely, without equivocation hold on to them.
(Not trying to sound sappy and sh!t, just stating the facts as its handed to me.)
How can you say one nation under God or in God we trust when you are going against his principals. I’m not judging the people, just the situation. Worng is wrong.
Wow, so much to comment on….
First, I find your comments enlightening, malcolm. And, I also find myself agreeing with what everyone has said, just about…..
When it comes to religion, Malcolm hit the nail right on the head: It’s about a person’s relationship with God. I practiced Islam since 1993. When I found God, through Islam, I was so lost that I won’t waste time talking about everything. Let’s just say I was a homophobe and a racist. God removed those from my heart. Really. In the last five years, I have been studying Christinanity and even joined a church earlier this year. There is no contradiction in the two religions. I practice a blend of the two. They have the same God. I know. My relationship with Him doesn’t depend on any religion…….
I used to hate gays because of my ignorance. After some enlightment, I was able to see gays just like I see anyone else: they are just people. What if one of my children turns out to be gay? would I want him/her to be abused or discriminated against? No, obviously. End of story. I treat others as I would want to be treated.
I think you’re right Emerson. Hate is rooted in ignorance.
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If you don’t agree with something that’s all good. That’s why I love Highbrid Nation. We don’t all agree but we’ve found a place where we can debate, discuss and try to understand different viewpoints.
I’m going to be real for a second. I don’t hate gays at all but I am realistic. Dick and dick don’t mix. If they want to get their gay on, go ahead. Do your numbers. But to get married means you are joining 2 people under God. If God is against homosexuality, how then can you get married? Who are you getting married under? The law? If that is the case, then you shall be judged by the law and you have no say so when it comes to God.
I think we have gotten away from the question a bit as well. I do not think same-sex marriages should be legal. Keep your gayness to yourself. You can be gay and all that jazz but marriage is between man and woman. Not man and man or woman and woman. I am not condoning mass beatings or things like that but reality must be dealt with on that level.
If you had a son who was gay and he wanted to get married, would you feel like it is a proper sort of thing to do? Be honest. I know I would be tight if my son turned out to be gay. I wouldnt turn him away, but if he is talking about marriage, I wouldn’t be there. This is just modern day sodom. C’mon son.
No it should not be legal.
Marriage should not be legal. Civil Unions should be legal. “Gay Marriage” is a matter of rights and privliges and that is where the distinction of a Civil Union comes in. Marriage is still rooted in religion and procreation and gay doesn’t fit into either of those categories on a basic level.
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