IS THIS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY? Patrick Hart

[Patrick Hart is a student at Swarthmore College.]

When anti-SSM voices say, "Oh, it's not about you in particular--we just want marriage
clearly put in a special area in society and maybe the state will give benefits to other relationships, maybe it won't," that kind of argument still is about gay people precisely because it regards their relationships as "other," interchangeable with friendships, family ties, etc. Society gives certain benefits to loving heterosexual couples that desire them and what loving homosexual couples are saying is that their relationships are just as loving, just as good, and they want those benefits, too.

That is why the debate ultimately has to be at least in part about homosexuality. If you're opposed to SSM, are gay relationships and straight ones morally equivalent? If not, why? If so, there seems to be little justification for opposing SSM. I know someone will bring up the argument of children and their needs, but if you contend that children are better served by heterosexual parents, that in itself seems to be a statement that homosexual relationships are in some ways deficient when compared to heterosexual ones. Speaking for myself (I know other pro-SSM voices will disagree), I have no wish to diminish the special status of marriage in our society. I just want society to acknowledge that homosexuals can have that type of special relationship as well.
posted by Eve at 2:35 AM VOTE

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