Gay Charleston

The fourteenth Amendment guarantees me equal access to the law and equal protection under the law. I am not required to submit to any additional layer of legal or moralistic approval or disapproval to receive it. My equality is guaranteed. YOUR RIGHTS END WHERE MINE BEGIN!

report 0 of 0 people like this.   like  dislike

drdanfee
Well, at least these comments suggest clearly that queer folks who happen to be citizens of South Carolina should not look to DeMint for fairness, corrected flat earth notions of being gay, or political representation. That cat is clearly out of the interview bag?

report 0 of 0 people like this.   like  dislike

Hypothetically, if there was a religion that allowed for gay marriage, there wouldn't be a problem, since we have freedom of religion in this country. The issue begs the question, does one truly have said freedom or merely the freedom to worship in a system of Jim Demint's image?

report 0 of 0 people like this.   like  dislike

I am not an activist by any means, I've even stayed out of this whole debate for a very long time, but some of these comments just really get to me. Marriage has turned into a legal contract more than a religious institution. Several religions and ministers are willing to perform gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender marriages. If this is the case, where is the problem? It's because there is no true separation of church and state. Why does the government care what a church or religion decides to do? Sure they don't recognize the marriage performed in the church but why not? You need to get a marriage license from the local government and file it and all that stuff. You don't even have to be married in a church or by a clergy! To me that sounds like a legal issue, so why can't GLBT be afforded the same rights as heterosexual couples under the law? My issue is that everyone who opposes GLBT marriage claims that marriage is a religious institution but it clearly is not, not if it can be done in a court house and not by a clergy.

I don't know the statistic, but I'm sure the divorce rate for heterosexual couples is over 50% still. Apparently heterosexual couples are enough to destroy the institution of marriage all on their own without any help from the GLBT community. Why not allow those who want to be married the chance? Maybe the divorce rate would decrease for a change.

Another point that people fail to realize is the economic impact of GLBT marriage. Weddings are a huge industry, people spend a lot of money on all of the hoopla surrounding it. If GLBT are allowed to marry that will mean an increase in church revenues (if that's where they get married), reception halls, bands/DJ's, formal wear, florists, decorations, retailers (bridal registry), and so on. That would be one way to stimulate the economy.

report 0 of 0 people like this.   like  dislike

@shelley:

Trolling a citypaper comment section? Edgy.

report 0 of 0 people like this.   like  dislike

@Friendly Moralist:

"Hypothetically, if there was a religion that allowed for gay marriage, there wouldn't be a problem, since we have freedom of religion in this country."

No hypothetical necessary. There are several christian denominations, including most recently Episcopalians, that will celebrate gay marriages, not to mention Unitarian Universalists. And their freedom to practice their religions is abridged by right-wing activists in violation of the constitution on a daily basis.

report 0 of 0 people like this.   like  dislike

Racism and discrimination do not exist in libertarianism.

report 0 of 0 people like this.   like  dislike

So, wait a minute. Marriage is a religious institution and the state has no right to redefine it but it uses the religious definition in the first place so that means that it must not be a completely religious thing but if it is then there must be a separation of church and state but then again there shouldn't be because that would mean we aren't a Christian nation and.....

Phew.

The more I think about it, the real Discordians in our world are Republicans.

report 0 of 0 people like this.   like  dislike

We ARE all children of God, in the creation standpoint. That is where it ends. Speaking to the Jewish leaders, Jesus said, " Ye are of your father the devil, and his works will ye do. " Homosexualality of any kind is sin. And God says that the " wages of sin is death. " That death is not just physical death, but eternal death in a place called hell. Sorry fags, lesbo`s, and tranny`s. Live it up in this life, because your body will burned up in the lake of fire. No sucking each others penises, or having intercourse up each others rectum. No sucking or licking on each others vagina, and so on.
REVELATION!!!!! A way to solve ALL the worlds problems! Lets all turn to the homosexual lifestyle! No more children would be born! After just a few short years world hunger would go down, homelessness would become non-exhistent, unemployment would be 0%. HEAVEN ON EARTH!!!!! You homos had it right all along!!! I`m switching TODAY!!!!!!!!!
John Allen
Charlestonian ( the Holy City ) by birth.
P. S. Go SUMMEY!!!! I would not doubt that you like young men ( if not young boys at that. )

report 0 of 0 people like this.   like  dislike

We are all God`s children in a creation standpoint. That is where it ends. Speaking to the Jews, Jesus said, "ye are of your father the devil, and his works will ye do." Homosexuallity of ANY kind is sin, and God said, "the wages of sin is death." Not just physical death, but eternal death in a place called hell. Live it up now fags, lesbo`s, and tranny`s. When your body is burned up in the lake of fire (your soul will be in torment throughout eternity), there will no sucking on each others penises, or having intercourse in each others rectum, no sucking or licking on each others vagina, and so on.
REVELATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A solution to ALL the worlds problems!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lets ALL go HOMO!!!!!!
NO more children would be born!!!!!
In just a few short years there would be no hunger, no homelessness, and there would be 0% unemployement!!!!!
You queers had it right all along!!!!!! I`M SWITCHING TODAY!!!!!!!!!!
John Allen
Charlestonian (The Holy City ) by birth.
P.S. Go Summey!!!!!! Thank you for supporting gay pride. My intuition is that you like young men (if not young boys) anyway.

report 0 of 0 people like this.   like  dislike

To start this comment, I will say that I am a heterosexual male and quite happy with that status.
However - lets cut through the BS and say out loud what is driving a lot of the homophobic rhetoric - Some people truly believe that "tab A" should ONLY go into "slot B" and nowhere else!
Personally I agree with that concept, but if others want to conduct their personal lives with a different set of values I think that is their business and not the business of the State or some "moral" concept foisted on them by uninvolved outsiders.
What consenting adults do in the privacy of their own homes is their business and nobody else's! -- The operative words in that statement are "consenting" and "adult".

report 0 of 0 people like this.   like  dislike

To John Allen - CELEBRATE!!
According to your belief system, all non-heterosexuals will go to hell. This should make you happy, since you will be in heaven - unless that silly thing about "love your brothers" makes God take a second look at your eligibility. Being hateful towards those with a different set of values doesn't seem very Christian.
In any case, if you are right and those who disagree with your values are wrong, you won't have to associate with them in the afterlife - so be happy!

report 0 of 0 people like this.   like  dislike

I usually don't like repeat commenters, but I most assuredly, as a Christian man, respect John Allen for adding even more PUNCTUATION and capitalization to his post THE second time............................. The world needs more visionaries LIKE John Allen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As for the story: a gay president would be like our black (and mixed-race) president... an example of just how boring all politicians are no matter how hard we depict them as evil and different.

report 0 of 0 people like this.   like  dislike

@ brybry

good point about the divorce rate. didn't divorce used to be a sin, too?

@ john allen

what do you care? why does demint care so much? most of the fags and lesbos i've known have been decent enough people, as have most of the straight people i've known. what harm does it do you for them to marry?

report 0 of 0 people like this.   like  dislike

on a kind-of-related note, i just feel like this whole issue is indicitive of the hypocracy of the republican party on this issue. isn't the republican party all about less government involvement in the private lives of citizens? wouldn't "less involvement" be simply allowing person A to marry person B? let the individual churches work out what their rules are. if the greek orthodox church at which you've always wanted to have your wedding won't allow it, find another church.

for the people using the argument that marriage is an institution developed to provide a stable environment in which to raise one's young, maybe we should require all parents to marry? or at least ban divorce? and as for tax breaks being about the kids, too, what about married heteros who don't have kids? don't they get tax breaks?

look demint, if you think it's wrong and want it to be illegal because it disgusts you on a personal level, just admit that you're not capable of keeping your own moral judgements from influencing policy decisions. oh, and QUIT. please.

and before anyone responds that legalizing same-sex unions amounts to more goverment, i respond that no, failing to address an inequality that has existed for hundreds of years is not more government. it's changing with the times and admitting we, as a society, will always have room to improve. unless you're honestly willing to argue government didn't have any right to abolish slavery, too, in which case you're a moron, and i'm glad i don't have to sit in what is probably your very boring church with you every sunday. you know, because church and state are (supposed to be) separate in this country.

my suggestion: let ANYONE enter into a legal civil union, and banish the word "marriage" from government entirely. leave it up to churches/synogogues/mosques/cults/whatever to figure out who they will/won't allow to make their legal civil union holy in the eyes of God, or whomever they worship.

and yes, i will be running for senate next term.

report 0 of 0 people like this.   like  dislike

Don't we already have a gay president ?

report 0 of 0 people like this.   like  dislike