Re: Indiana's 'No Gay Wedding' Pizzeria Has Closed
From a public policy standpoint, most people fear homosexuality because of the potential health and moral implications such a lifestyle could bring.
On the health front, there is the obvious - AIDS/HIV.
But SSM reduces, not increases, the chance of AIDS spreading. People ARE gay (or straight) so prohibiting SSM doesn't reduce the number of gays or the number in intimate sexual relationships. It would be like worrying about one parent families, and prohibiting marriage till 30 or something to make sure the couple is 'ready' to have kids before the state allows it.... No, that just guarantees a whole lot more sex outside marriage, and the likelihood of an unwanted, out of wedlock child.
From a moral perspective, there's the potential breakdown of the sanctity of marriage.
I've really struggled with connecting the dots here. I have tried and can't figure out how more people getting married negatively affects the sanctity of straight marriages. In my feeble mind, that should increase the societal expectation that committed couples make a legally binding commitment, gay and straight.
In the minds of many, both situations have the potential of eroding the fabric of society and traditional marriage. This above all is what many fear most about the LGBT community. Problem here is more people die of cancer than they do of AIDS, and even without adding homosexuality into the equation more marriage still fail due to money problems, physical abuse and infidelity with a member of the opposite sex than they do from discovering that their former spouse is gay or lesbian or has some other deep, dark sexual demon in their closet.
Again, the problem with a husband or wife finding out their spouse is gay is directly related to the shame and contempt society has traditionally heaped on openly gay individuals. Faced with that shame, and the condemnation of their family, church, friends, coworkers, the path of least resistance is to live a lie as a straight person. Obviously many cannot maintain that lie for a lifetime and a horribly broken family is the result.
While I agree with those who see homosexuality as a sin, I'm also of the view that this is their life and as long as no one of that lifestyle attempts to impose themselves on me personally, I adhere to the tenant "hate the sin, love the sinner".
I agree, obviously. And I've been around lots of gays in bars, street parties, regular parties, restaurants, etc. and never have been hit on. They have no interest hitting on straight people. I suppose it happens, but no more often than women intentionally hit on gay men, or straight men on lesbians.
Sidenote: I have a couple of gay friends - one male, the other female. As friendships, social interactions and casual associations go, if they aren't having public displays of affections, i.e., holding hands or kissing their significant other, I've found them to be just as normal as anyone else.
Right, they're people same as everyone else with a different sexual orientation. It's why the biggest change IMO is the number of Americans who report they know an openly gay person - from 20% or so, to over 60% just decade or so later. If a family member you love tells you he is gay, it's hard to maintain the belief they're this "other" being. No, they're the same brother/sister/son/daughter/cousin, etc. with a different sexual orientation. Same with a good childhood friend - you liked him or her when you thought he/she was straight - they're gay and you no longer do? That's tough to maintain without evidence to support it. And that evidence typically isn't there - they're that person, gay. Kids now say, "so what" and that's a good thing IMO.
FWIW, kissing (assuming it's not a make out session or something) and holding hands is obviously totally normal for gays and straights...