Neoconservativism is so gay
November 17, 2008
People love to hate the neocons. Partly, this is because “neocon” has become what Richard Weaver called a “devil term”: a near-synonym for evil. Now the League of the South is blaming neocons for gay marriage, of all things (though their reference to Andrew Sullivan is genuinely interesting).
At least prop 8 opponents aren’t doing anything crazy like stomping crosses carried by old ladies or battling police.
The opponents of Prop 8 are comparing this to the civil rights movement. The big difference here was that Martin Luther King Jr and his followers protested peacefully. They came from the churches, instead of attacking them.
And the state of California voted for the ban on gay marriage. The anti-prop 8 people should be protesting the Democratic process! (Oh wait… they are!) Where’s our enlightened oligarchy?
The point should be that people don’t have the right to force their beliefs on others, even if they are the majority. This applies to marriage, taxes, and all sorts of regulation.
Yes, I’m predictable.
Also, the old ladies were probably planning something sinister with those crosses.
I have a great idea! Why don’t the Prop 8 opponents, go out, organize and put together a proposition to go on the ballot next year which defines the legal meaning of marraige?
If gay marriage were simply a matter of granting gays a certain legal privilege, it would not matter much to me. I wouldn’t be enthusiastic for it, but I wouldn’t shed any tears over it, either. But experience from states like Massachusetts has shown that, once the proverbial foot is in the door, gay marriage becomes a cudgel for forcing religious conservatives to violate their fundamental beliefs. There have been cases, for example, of conservatives who run little bed and breakfasts who, because of their religious beliefs do not give rooms to unmarried couples, who have been sued for not giving rooms to gay married folks. In Canada there have even been attempts to say that religious leaders who hold homosexuality to be immoral are engaging in “hate speech.”
I think the biggest myth about gay marriage is that legalizing it is a values-neutral decision. Perhaps some perceive it that way, but for too many gay marriage is a weapon to enforce the normalcy of homosexuality whether religious conservatives will have it or not. In actuality, Christians such as myself and others are left in the unenviable position of having to force the law to reflect our values so we don’t have the values of others forced on us. I truly believe traditional marriage is THE bulwark holding back attempts to criminalize the expression of our fundamental moral beliefs.
[...] 19, 2008 I think my response to washulibs merits reposting: If gay marriage were simply a matter of granting gays a certain [...]