I agree that the people of New York have the right to peaceful protest over this issue, and that the mormon church put alot of effort into campaigning for support of the measure. But the rhetoric of the protesters is intellctually dishonest to say the least. When has same-sex marriage ever been a civil right? Since when is a bigot someone who disagree’s with your political views? Why is it hateful to peacefully excercise political rights? Do gay rights activists really think that 52% of california voters are stupid and backward? This shows the protestors naivety for sure.

Citizens of the community donated money to the cause of proposition 8. They may have an affiliation with the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as well, but they donated the money not the church. There should be no hate geared toward people for using their constitutional right to vote. The members of the church are resposible for less than 5% of the vote. Yet over 85% of the protests are directed at their hallowed grounds. Seems there is hate going on out their. The question is who are the real haters?

“…this community…spread the word for bigotry in the form of fear-mongering.”
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! Having a difference of opinion is not bigotry. People with various uncommon sexual fetishes, whom we now call ‘gay’, do not now nor have they ever constituted an ethnic group. At best, they are most similar to a club, though their connection to one another would appear even more tenuous than that. What an amazing use of doublespeak to portray the Mormons who fought this loose assemblage of people as bigots. As a Mormon who has had the pleasure (and misfortune) of being surrounded by homosexuals for much of my life, I can honestly say that I sorrow for these people. I firmly believe that the creation of this faux gay identity has harmed more good people than anything in recent decades. Confused, often abused youths find themselves with very real (and, I believe, incurable) sexual fetishes involving some facet of the same sex. They are told that it is destiny that they join with this community and offer themselves up as sexual objects. I have seen nothing but depression, suicidal thoughts, unhealthful sexual practices, and general confusion among this group. The Mormons, myself included, are not seeking to harm or belittle human beings. We are saying ‘NO’ to the unnatural push by the media and homosexual power brokers in their attempt to force a new, artificial ethnic group on our state upon whom special rights will be bestowed. Oh, and by the way, Mormons are a known ethnic group (and a minority at that). Perhaps the gays who wrote Big Love, and who harbor Mormon missionary fetishes of the sort shared by perverted men with Catholic school-girl fetishes are just hurt that we don’t conform to their stereotypes. Protest all you want, but don’t vandalize, threaten, or assault us. And, most importantly, not liking your mistakes does not equal bigotry!

Actually the California Supreme Court said it is a civil right last May. Between then and Nov. 4 there was marriage equality in California, the sky didn’t fall, the “big one” didn’t hit, people still went to church, straight people got married and guess what? so did gay people. That right was taken away by a campaign filled with lies and deceptions, one that played to people’s most base fears and prejudices. The Mormon Church allied with the Catholics and various other Christian Right organizations conspired to impose their religious doctrine on the citizens of California. That is wrong. Funny thing, the LDS were persecuted in the not so distant past for having a different idea about marriage and family. Must be fun to be the oppressor this time?

Perhaps the gays who wrote Big Love, and who harbor Mormon missionary fetishes of the sort shared by perverted men with Catholic school-girl fetishes are just hurt that we don’t conform to their stereotypes.

Man, I love the comments on these Prop 8 posts.

Why don’t you folks read the California and Connecticut Supreme Court decisions before you go on spouting off about gay people as a group. One chooses to adopt a religion, one is not born that way, right? So be careful with those types of arguments. Legalizing marriage equality does nothing to prevent a church or family from teaching what they believe about gay people or homosexuality. It simply grants equal rights to all Americans. There are still people who are against inter racial or inter faith marriages. They are free to act and live by their beliefs, just not to impose them on society at large. Get my point? Why is freedom so threatening?

The fundamental flaw in the claifornia and connecticut supreme court decisions, is that to get to those opinions each justice must have it already in their mind that marriage is between two people that love each other. This isn’t based on the law, becuase it defines marriage differently, but instead on a personal ideology. The law is being applied equality becuase both groups are allowed to marry someone of the opposite sex and both are restricted from same-sex marriage.

It is scientifically proven that a family started by the marriage between a man and a woman, is the healthiest situation for children, and parents. On average, everyone lives longer, experiences less emotional illness, and is at less risk of suicide, drug use, and criminal behavior. This is why society and the government has a stake in supporting this specific kind of marriage.

Man oh man, Ned, I just wanted to announce that the protest drew 10,000 people.

“I have seen nothing but depression, suicidal thoughts, unhealthful sexual practices, and general confusion among this group.”

Have you ever thought that the reason why many gay teens are depressed and/or suicidal is because they believe that they aren’t accepted? That they realize that who they are (and not what they choose to be) will ultimately cause for them to be shunned by their friends, their family, and their community?

Think. If you were in that situation. If part of you, be it your hair, gender, race, sexuality, whatever…If part of who you are would result in your banishment, so to speak, from the rest of society, wouldn’t you feel pretty bad yourself?

’cause, shit. That’s shit’s depressing.

*That shit’s depressing…

Typo. Grr.

Long Beach Gay Activist KAF created some great No on 8 gear for gays and straights.

Check it out:

http://www.cafepress.com/NoTime2H8

The “No on 8″ campaign labeling anyone who disagrees with them as “bigots” and full of “hate” and post election protests and violence prove that those who voted yes were right. Gay “marriage” is not about equal rights, but about forcing society to accept the lifestyle. No one has taken away any rights. Anyone can marry anyone else of the opposite sex, anyone can live with another of the same sex. The only difference is same-sex relationships cannot co opt the traditional definition of marriage and the natural formation of a family. People who voted yes on 8 did so to protect their free speech and religous rights as well as their right to raise their children as they wish. These are not lies, these are inconvenient facts.

Believe me, the church is very happy that their participation (which was encouraging faithful members to participate in their constitutional right to support a propostition and vote) helped this proposition to pass. And yes, the church is used to persecution and the faithful members will continue to stand up against it.

Whats really funny to me is that before the vote, No on 8ers were like, “yeah, let’s put it to a vote! You’ll see, we’ll win. It’s what everybody wants.” Interesting that now, now that you’ve lost, you’re all crying foul. If this was so unconstitutional and illegal to put to this kind of vote, why didn’t you fight to get it off the ballot? Oh, because you thought everyone agreed with you. Well, the majority in every state that has EVER voted on this issue does not. Marriage is not a civil right. Marriage is not available to everyone, there are qualifications that have to be met in order to get a license.

I live in California and I know the kind of underhanded tactics that were used to pass this law. The Yes on 8 campaign claimed that gay marriage would be taught in schools (it wouldn’t) and that it would cause churches who refused to perform gay marriages to lose their non-profit status (also a lie). I have no problem with religious freedom, my mom voted yes on 8 because of her religious views and I can understand her viewpoint. We don’t disagree with the right to free speech, we disagree with the Yes on 8 campaign using lies and fear tactics to get people to vote yes. Let it come to a real vote without lies and see how it goes. This prop put one statement in the constitution: “Marriage shall be between a man and a woman.” If they were worried about their children’s education or their church’s status, they should have passed a law about protecting these things. Many people didn’t even know what they were voting for.

As for your arguments that marriage is a sacred religious union between a man and a woman and churches should not be forced to respect that, no one expects those churches to perform the ceremonies. However, there are many churches and religious groups who do not object to gay marriage and are perfectly willing to perform non-legally binding ceremonies for gay couples. How dare you claim to have a monopoly on the term? How dare you stand in the way of people’s happiness and claim you’re doing them a favor because the gay people you have known were depressed?

I am a female and am bi. I have a boyfriend and plan on marrying him, so this may never be an issue for me. However, despite my ability to lay low and stay off your personal radar, the thought that if you knew me, you would judge me and think I had been deceived by the gay activists hurts me. The fact that you think “Perhaps the gays who wrote Big Love, and who harbor Mormon missionary fetishes of the sort shared by perverted men with Catholic school-girl fetishes are just hurt that we don’t conform to their stereotypes.” I’m not hurt that you don’t conform to my stereotypes, I’m hurt that you expect me to conform to yours.

I have struggled with depression not because I was being forced into bisexuality by activist liberals, but because I felt that I had to hide who I was from everyone who I cared about. The fact that my church made me feel like I was going to hell because of my inner most thoughts. Do you honestly think this was a choice? I would give anything to not be attracted to girls! I fought this for years. I prayed about it on my own and with my mother. Even now, she thinks that I am giving in to an attack by demons by thinking this way. I know that she has prayed for me constantly since she found out and that she cries about it.

Can you just imagine for one second how it feels to have that kind of effect on someone I dearly love and respect? Get off your high horse and realize that your viewpoint isn’t the only way.

“As a Mormon who has had the pleasure (and misfortune) of being surrounded by homosexuals for much of my life, I can honestly say that I sorrow for these people. I firmly believe that the creation of this faux gay identity has harmed more good people than anything in recent decades. Confused, often abused youths find themselves with very real (and, I believe, incurable) sexual fetishes involving some facet of the same sex. They are told that it is destiny that they join with this community and offer themselves up as sexual objects.”

If it was curable, I would be straight. I’m sure that when you say you had the misfortune of being surrounded, they felt the same way being around you with your hurtful views. My identity is not fake. I was never abused by anyone, there was nothing in my life that somehow made me a sexual fetishist. I don’t join this community because it is destiny, I have tried to hide from this community, from this aspect of myself, because of people like you telling me all my life that it was wrong. I didn’t date anyone until I was 23 because that was the first time I found a guy I was attracted to and refused to give in to how I felt about women. If he had been a woman, I would still be alone thanks to people like you.

“When has same-sex marriage ever been a civil right? ”

Never, that’s the problem. Being gay is not a choice, it is not a “club” as someone had the nerve to call it, nor is it a “fetish”. It is a genetic predisposition that people have killed themselves because they are unable to come to grips that this is the way they are pre-programmed, despite the environment in which they grew up. Would this be the action of someone who could simply choose to be another way.

Now having said that, I do not personally believe that the target of these protests should be churches and religious organizations because America was founded on the principals that there be a clear divide between church and state so that people could be free to pursue whatever religious beliefs they choose to.

Now, having said THAT, the views of churches should, in no way, be taken into consideration in the issue of equal rights for gays and lesbians. If it does not fit into your personal religious beliefs, then feel free to not practice it yourself or associate with anyone who you do not agree with. You have the right to restrict your own life as you choose to. HOWEVER, you do not have the right to restrict mine or say that I cannot marry the person I love because YOUR religious beliefs say otherwise.

The problem with the current view on same-sex marriage is that it is viewed as some sort of special right, when actually, the right to marry should be a civil right for ALL americans, NOT just the heterosexual ones.

Incidentally, prior to 1920, there are many in the US who claimed that it was just as wrong for women to have equal political rights to men. Is that right?

Prior to the 1960s, it was considered completely acceptable for African Americans to be granted equal rights to caucasian americans. Is that right?

Love in any form is fine. It’s your hate you have to watch.

Thank you Burt. I would love marriage to be a personal choice. Arranged marriages keep coming to my mind. I cannot imagine parents, even more the state dictating or limiting my marriage, if I ever do get married. By banning gay marriage, you’re denying someone of a choice.

I found this while googling myself. Just to set this straight, there must be two Dustin Curries and not every Dustin Currie is homophobic.

It depends on how you want to twist your “love in any form is fine”. Rapists and child molesters think the same too. No ones is telling or preventing gays from living together. Don’t force me to subscribe to your sick and twisted lifestyles and equal your lifestyle as human rights and/or civil rights.

I can’t drive until I’m 18 or drink until I’m 21. What happen to my human rights? Where is my civil rights?

I can’t move here or live here FREELY because I’m an illegal. What happen to my “human rights”.

I’m single. Why do I have to pay higher taxes compare to “union” couple. Where the f***** is my civil right?

I can’t marry my pets or have more than one spouse (among consenting adults)? Where is my FU*KIN civil right?

ARE THESE FAIR? FU** NO! But I accept it because it’s the law of the land. Democracy RULED!!! PRO 8 PASSED. LIVE with it!!! Fire those DumASS**** California JUDGES for legislating on the bench. Too dumb to miss out my human right to walk around naked.

Gays are different - mentally. As the genders are different - physically. I think they are approaching this whole marriage things incorrectly. Instead of forcing the institution of marriage to fit their “shoes”, they should create their own institution. Instead of calling it marriage, they should call it GARRIAGE.