May 25, 2012 -- 3:27AM, CharikIeia wrote:

Marriage is not a human right

Loving v. Virginia defined marriage as a "fundemental right". And no, there is nothing so unique about same-sex marriage that they would have had to say "this includes the gays too".

May 25, 2012 -- 11:01AM, Ebon wrote:

May 25, 2012 -- 3:27AM, CharikIeia wrote:

Marriage is not a human right

Loving v. Virginia defined marriage as a "fundemental right".

What in heavens is 'Loving v. Virginia', and what relevance does it have?

Thanks, Ebon!

I can't follow the idea at all, but that's just me. I see how it can be a right to have sex with someone who also wants that, but to establish an exclusionary tax-subsidised haven, that doesn't sound like a right at all, but like an entitlement, to me... it's not a need, but a want, that is satisfied through it.

I mean the institution that comes under the label "marriage", mainecaptain ;-)

The year I got married, there was a glitch in the phone book. When you called the Marriage Bureau, you were connected to Mental Health instead. :)

The only "luxury" I can see involved is granting same-sex partners the same insurance benefits offered to married partners today.

That would eventually mean being able to draw on your spouse's Social Security and/or pensions. I imagine that one is going to be a hell of a test case.

Civil unions should have been allowed a long time ago. It's up to individual sects and churches about religious ceremonies.

When you think of all the young gays who have killed themselves to escape relentless bullying, it's one thing to say "It gets better". To have them actually witness a shift in attitudes, to be able to see that there is hope of being considered just another human being is important.