Today is all about marriage equality. I start out sharing my thoughts on the topic of marriage equality, then I move on to take on a religious wingnut and his loopy arguments. You may find something useful in all this to combat the bigots you encounter. But I do get a bit stroppy in my rhetoric, so be warned. A comment on another topic lets me tell you something about a tech development in New Zealand.
If you have a strong stomach and want to see the relevant link, see the comments to episode 106.
Please leave a comment, ring my US Listener Line on 206-339-8413, or send an email to arthur{at]amerinzpodcast.com.
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Hey Arthur,
Loved the show! I’m not sure what else I can add on the subject of marriage equality, since everything you said is bang on. Maybe you could just imagine me shouting “preach it, brother!” after each of your sentences.
About the rabid wingnut, though, I do wonder why such divisive rhetoric survives when there are nations with full marriage equality that simply don’t demonstrate any of the horrible consequences that these crazies warn about.
…though, I suppose it’s clear these guys aren’t too fond of rational thought in the first place.
Hi Arthur. I have been listening to your podcast for a while now. I finally feel compelled to post a comment. You have echoed a lot of my sentiments about marriage, especially the idea that government should not be in the marriage business. I am in an opposite-sex relationship, and when we decided to “make things official” we knew we didn’t want a marriage for a variety of reasons. We were living in California at the time, so we thought we’d get a domestic partnership. Turns out they are only for same-sex couples in California (talk about separate but equal). So we settled for a City of Berkeley domestic partnership, which is frankly not as exciting, it didn’t even allow me to get on my partner’s health care plan! We moved to New Zealand a little over a year ago and were very excited about the country’s Civil Union laws, because they are so egalitarian and nearly identical to a marriage contract. We were one of only 63 opposite-sex couples to get a Civil Union in 2007! My theory is that if more opposite sex couples start getting Civil Unions, then government-run marriages will become obsolete, and eventually return to what they should be: a religious and cultural rite, not a legal document.
This was an amazing episode. I concur in so many ways to the way you debunked the crazy whack-job arguments against gay marriage. I have a crazy relative that is always emailing me this kind of vile right-wing garbage and one of these days I’m gonna…I’m gonna…send them an email, which I’m sure they will delete without reading.