I'm not quite clear what you are saying. I know no gay person or straight person who is supportive of gay rights that doesn't understand that there will be those that disagree and all respect that. Are you saying she was fine with the fact that if she were to marry, her marriage would not be recognized as legal?

 

Really?

 

Just read social media. Anyone disagreeing with today's decision is being called a homophobe or worse. A few posters on here have done the same, be it ever so veiled.

 

My daughter understands that there are those of faith that will disagree with her and her relationship. She's not going to name call, like many in the LGBT community and their supporters do. She understands everyone is entitled to their own opinion and that they are no more right or wrong than she is.

Really?

 

Just read social media. Anyone disagreeing with today's decision is being called a homophobe or worse. A few posters on here have done the same, be it ever so veiled.

 

My daughter understands that there are those of faith that will disagree with her and her relationship. She's not going to name call, like many in the LGBT community and their supporters do. She understands everyone is entitled to their own opinion and that they are no more right or wrong than she is.

 

I swear...I have seen nothing like what you are describing .. Not one post in my feed has reflected anything even close to what you are describing.

I swear...I have seen nothing like what you are describing .. Not one post in my feed has reflected anything even close to what you are describing.

Mine either. Almost all of the celebration that I have seen has been by people that are straight.

But priests sign the state issued marriage licenses. Heck, in 2008 I didn't think I would see this happen, yet here we are. I have become pessimistic in that I don't see anything stopping the LGBT militants until no one, no way can say no to them in any way shape or form. I said it before, with them it's not just good enough to get their way, all differing opinions must be silenced.

 

I think that you just might be presenting an extremist view of what you're calling "LGBT Militants". There's no doubt that the vast majority of gay people are in support of gay marriage, and hope to one day not to be seen as such a misunderstood entity in society, like we have unfortunately been seen for centuries, and thankfully it appears that the many years challenge is finally seeing better days.

 

Are there some gay activists that can go overboard? No doubt there are, but to try to paint all gay people like this with a broad stroke is ridiculously unfair, distorted, and slanted. I've heard from many other gay people that are in agreement that some extremists do not represent the majority in a favorable light.

 

You're not forced to change your view, but has it ever occurred to you that yours and others' "differing opinions" have evolved from many years of misunderstanding and being misinformed, and that your deep rooted disapproval of gay people is preventing you to see and understand reality?

 

I'm gay, and that's not an opinion, that's a reality.

 

Someone might like a movie, while someone else doesn't...that's a "differing opinion".

 

Knowing that being gay is, and always has been a natural facet of humanity, although a minority doesn't make it any less natural. There are probably a significantly lesser amount of left handed people in the world but does that make them unnatural for being in minority? There's probably a significantly lesser amount of red heads in the world compared to all the different hair colors, but does that make them any less natural?

 

If a "differing opinion" is spawned from misinformation can you see where it's hard for some to accept it as simply a "differing opinion" when knowing full good and well that it's either a misunderstanding or a blatant resistance to understand even after the true facts are presented to help people better understand?

 

With so much information circulating now days to give people who've misunderstood in the not too distant past for their lack of knowledge, adversity to gay people feels even more vulgar now for some than when they formed their opinions out of lack of understanding.

 

I personally find that to be even more frustrating that people have been given the opportunity to understand yet they still choose to remain ignorant and mean spirited. Sounds more like an addiction to be hateful than it does to be an open minded person with a loving understanding spirit.

 

I promise you that gay people in general are not out to hurt anyone, but to ultimately live with a sense of dignity within this society who so often in the past had been made to feel like misfits.

 

In just about every way that I can think I felt like a pretty normal child. I did well in school. I evolved into a fairly decent athlete and had various other talents. Because I wasn't what others might consider obviously gay, I luckily didn't suffer any gay bashing in my teen years.

 

For much of my childhood society and religion had a firm grip on me making me question if something was wrong with me, but it didn't measure up. Being so down to earth normal in every way and not feeling like there was really anything wrong with me, I started to think that there was something severely wrong with society and religion with their grave misunderstanding.

 

To me, they were the ones with the serious problem, and often presented in such hateful judgmental fashion, where in that I wasn't feeling the love or had much respect to think that they were a viable option for me to believe in or follow.

 

They were showing me first hand their errors all the while under the disguise of being the authority.

 

Thankfully through analysis I learned early what bull crap can can posses one's mind if there's nothing available to challenge it.

 

Many straight christian types fell prey to such bull crap, because for starters being gay to them felt foreign, and having your trusted religion speak out against it would only reinforce that misunderstanding.

 

If an extreme Democrat and an extreme Republican are debating various topics, although they might both look like shallow kooks in the process, they indeed have what you would call "differing opinions".

 

With the gay topic you have those who know that it's not an opinion, it's just a given reality, and then you have those through misinformation who take opposition and deem it a differing opinion. You can call it that if you'd like, but in reality one would just be ill-informed and that is the truth and not an opinion.

 

2+2=4 but for example someone could insist that the answer is 3. Would that be a "differing opinion", or could it be that they are just downright wrong?

 

Just as the person who believes the answer is 3 when they are clearly in the wrong, anyone who objects to gays because of their misinformed shaped opinions, if they're willing to think it through it's not at all impossible that they'll see the reality of things and allow themselves to move on from where they are now to a place of understanding.

 

I've actually seen it happen and it sure is a beautiful thing. Shallow mindedness just doesn't seem to carry the same appeal, and at the end of the day it just comes off as a display of ignorance and negativity. But the good thing is is that can all change with a little bit of understanding.

These days, I'm just beyond the politics of it all, and beyond the religious as well.

 

Today, I am nothing more than happy:

 

Happy for Neil and Jim who have been together for 35 years and now can know that whatever state they retire in, their marriage will be recognized.

Happy for Rodney and Scott and their two little boys, that their family's legality can be recognized just as any other family is recognized.

Happy for Steven and Sam who are still a young couple, that their life together can now proceed without the fears that they don't have to sacrifice recognition of the legality of their marriage for the prospect of a better job, or opportunity.

Happy for Beth, who has struggled for years with her orientation, but really, really yearns for a long lasting relationship...maybe now she'll be less guilt ridden by societal norms and move forward.

Happy for countless people I know and consider friends.

 

As someone earlier mentioned, the gays that I am personally acquainted with are church-going. They are involved in countless community volunteer projects. They are generous, kind and funny.

 

Today I am happy.

 

How dare you rockmom for this ability of yours to be open minded and understanding? While some other Christians on here try to push a hate filled message full of misinformation, you take the high road and show what it means to have true love in your heart. You do realize that this is not always going to be met with acceptance, right?

 

In all seriousness, you know that the "how dare you" part is me just being silly, and I'd like to add that I am so thrilled by your wonderful posts. It's such a breath of fresh air to know that there are those who get it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for your understanding support. After this long journey in life and hearing so much negativity along the way, to hear your kinds words literally bring tears of joy.

 

You're such a cool cat and a great example of what it means to be a wonderful loving human being.

As a Christian I am against this decision. As a citizen, it bothers me that the supreme court can make this decision for the entire nation. If this issue were put on a national ballot and voters had a chance to voice their opinion, then I could accept it on my beliefs in democracy. I am very sad but not surprised that this day has come. I fear for that my children will grow up in a world that tries to convince them that what is wrong is actually right.

 

Seriously. If we had that mentality white male landowners would be our only voters now. EQUAL Protection.

The bold is key, the ruling TODAY does not threaten the tax exempt status of churches but I have no doubt that such is the goal for some and this was a critical step in that direction.

 

So be it. As long as they don't force dogmatic change. That is the whole point of our faith, correct?

Really?

 

Just read social media. Anyone disagreeing with today's decision is being called a homophobe or worse. A few posters on here have done the same, be it ever so veiled.

 

My daughter understands that there are those of faith that will disagree with her and her relationship. She's not going to name call, like many in the LGBT community and their supporters do. She understands everyone is entitled to their own opinion and that they are no more right or wrong than she is.

 

I have been reading social media. It is either "YAY for gay rights" or "What has happened to morals in my country?" The only people I see being called homophobes or worse are those that are pathetic and throwing hateful words towards gays. There is a mass difference in disagreeing with a decision versus spewing hate and then crying about being attacked by the gay "mob".

 

The most outlandish comments I have seen have come from christian conservatives asking their state governor to secede from the union or to have a mob overthrow the supreme court.

In the end, for most of us, tomorrow's day will begin and end and pass, and the next will come and pass, and so on and so forth, with absolutely no change to them related to this ruling. For some, though, end of life decisions, financial decisions and family decisions have finally been recognized as being as legitimate as those of heterosexuals...it literally changes their lives. If it doesn't affect you (speaking to the masses here) why the angst? Why is it so important to protect the ability to love, join in marriage, raise children, share assets, divide assets, visit a dying loved one in the hospital for heterosexuals only?

 

Hit ain't natchrull.

I can understand when one doesn't completely understand gay people or why they are gay, especially if one hasn't had much exposure to a gay person, and has allowed them to express their experience with growing up this way without any choice in the matter.

 

What is gravely disturbing is when one who doesn't completely understand, but will still approach the topic from an authoritative standpoint to deem gay people immoral and unethical.

 

Not understanding is one thing, but a crazy terrible leap to extrapolate from ones terribly misguided understanding to purport the same old same old trite backward commentary that does nothing but aim to take understanding back to the dark ages.

 

If you're willing to take a stab at a better understanding, I'd be willing to help enlighten you with my own personal experience with growing up gay, which is not very much different to many other gay people who have shared with me their experiences.

 

We were not bad immoral people choosing to be sexual deviants as some might see us to be. Our sexuality developed without choice just like any heterosexual did. You didn't decide to be straight, we didn't decide to be gay. I can't pinpoint that exact reasons, but all the same it is what it is.

 

Out of a sense of social and religious pressure when I was younger I tried to force myself to be straight but it just wouldn't happen. On the other hand following my gay inclinations felt as natural as can be for me.

 

I kept all of this bottled up my entire childhood because I feared the reaction I would undoubtedly get from kids beating me up (hopefully you don't find gay bashing to be an acceptable reaction), to family and friends possibly shunning me or casting me out through their lack of understanding.

 

I eventually came out to family and friends at about 20 and thankfully, although very confused, I received a ton of understanding, love, and respect from at least most of them.

 

Most of the gay people that I've ever known have been pretty peaceful passive people, and during their childhood if some of them weren't able to hide themselves as I did, and were possibly by no choice of their own on the effeminate side, they tended to suffer from physical bullying. From where I sit peaceful and passive is far more admirable than straight kids resorting to bringing physical violence upon someone merely because they do not understand them. That there might stir some questions regarding morals and ethics. Growing up it killed me that gays were always being condemned, but I never heard of anyone condemning straight gay bashing type people, who in my mind were the true problem.

 

Without going much further, I hope that in some small way I've helped you to see things from a different perspective. Some have a very hard time letting go of how they've seen things their entire lives. Condemnation, judging, and compulsive misunderstanding is a form of hate, but if you truly have love in your heart, I would fail to see where you can continue to cling to those views of your past. I don't expect to snap my fingers and see you do an immediate about face, but you now perhaps have new data to ponder than possibly you once did.

 

I'd have no reason to lie, but please believe me when I say that I, and so many others did not choose to be gay. Somewhere along the way you have to accept yourself for who you are, or you stand to live a complete lie, and a maladjusted life.

 

In the long run I see it as a blessing because it helped to challenge me at a very early time in my development to analyze myself, society, and religion, which I think has been incredibly beneficial.

 

I'm very happy to call B-Ball-fan a friend and enjoy his company when at BGP Gatherings or HS basketball games........although he can be long winded at times. :lol2:

Anyone see Clarence Thomas' dissent? :lol2:

 

Clarence Thomas?s jaw-dropping gay marriage dissent: 'Slaves did not lose their dignity.' | Fusion

 

Somebody ask Anita Hill about dignity.

I'm very happy to call B-Ball-fan a friend and enjoy his company when at BGP Gatherings or HS basketball games........although he can be long winded at times. :lol2:

 

Really? I hadn't noticed.

I have been reading social media. It is either "YAY for gay rights" or "What has happened to morals in my country?" The only people I see being called homophobes or worse are those that are pathetic and throwing hateful words towards gays. There is a mass difference in disagreeing with a decision versus spewing hate and then crying about being attacked by the gay "mob".

 

The most outlandish comments I have seen have come from christian conservatives asking their state governor to secede from the union or to have a mob overthrow the supreme court.

 

That's what I'm seeing also.

 

Knowing that being gay is, and always has been a natural facet of humanity, although a minority doesn't make it any less natural. There are probably a significantly lesser amount of left handed people in the world but does that make them unnatural for being in minority? There's probably a significantly lesser amount of red heads in the world compared to all the different hair colors, but does that make them any less natural?

 

 

Left-handed gay gingers are dancing in the streets.

 

Our nation is doomed.

I just think this is a states rights issue, and that each state should vote on this issue.

 

Agree, but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it like it seems quite a few on here are going to do.