Tuesday October 30, 2012, 10:27 am
What do homophobes always forget when arguing that children should be raised by a mother and a father? Oh, right, that children are already being raised by gay parents and OH, RIGHT, those kids turn out just fine and — OH, RIGHT — they REALLY don't like it when people insult their families.

Tuesday October 30, 2012, 10:36 am
Excellent video, noted. People that are misinformed or uninformed tend to respond to anything different or "other" negatively. Primarily, they do this because they are fearful. Their fear could be alleviated if they would just open up and get informed, but all too often they don't want to hear any information that contradicts their fears and their prejudices. It's probably too much to suggest that they could at least express their concerns kindly and/or politely because whether they realize it or not, they are talking to human beings. And that is the worst thing about all prejudice, including homophobia, the tendency to dehumanize those that are different. Is it so hard to be humane with the other?

Tuesday October 30, 2012, 10:59 am
Great insights with general applicability to those who are unwilling to learn and/or who respond with personal attacks or other inhuman and disrespectful treatment of others. Sure wish I could send you a star, but unfortunately:You cannot currently send a star to Brian because you have done so within the last week.

Tuesday October 30, 2012, 7:31 pm

It is true, the children of gay families are happy, healthy and do well school, what more could we ask for? I am so tired of hearing the same old arguments, about gay marriage. Does anyone remember that once in the not so distant past these same arguments were used to prevent interracial couples from marrying? When does the bigotry and hate finally end? There is nothing Christian about this hate, in fact Jesus never spoke about gay any thing, and that could just be because it was accepted as just a part of life. No one says you have like every thing, but there are some things that are just none of your business - talking to you republicans. Maybe if you focused on your own families and stayed out of others there would be less divorce...could be.

Tuesday October 30, 2012, 7:39 pm
Sad and all too true Kit. Thanks for helping provide the factually accurate historical and religious context for this video. You cannot currently send a star to Kit because you have done so within the last week.

Thursday November 1, 2012, 2:01 pm
Excellent video and most poignant. She's right, those kids are already out there, lots and lots of them and they turn out just fine. They aren't converted by their parents, sexual identity is present at birth and though I know the right wants to think otherwise, no one can be persuaded to "turn" gay. I was pleased to hear her mention Minnesota because we do have a particularly ugly battle going on over this issue as some try to amend our constitution so that discrimination might be enshrined in that, until now, noble document.

There are ads, one in particular that is just plain silly. A nice young blonde woman, a former tv reporter, explains that this is on the ballot so that the people ALWAYS have the last word. Completely ignoring the fact that we elect representatives to make these decisions on our behalf. If her logic held then EVERY bill our legislature deals with should be on our ballots because, well, we the people should be the ones to decide, not the representatives (of which we have FAR too many for a small state anyway) we elect to do this work. Then there's an ad they've imported from Massachusetts wherein this ever so sad couple explain that if this amendment is not passed, as it was not in their state, why, children could be shown pictures of happy families composed of other than heterosexual people. They say we need to protect Minnesota's marriages. But the question that comes to mind for me is, this happened many years ago in Massachusetts, yet there they still are and despite their sad looks, they seem to still be married and so unaffected in any way.

That's the part of the argument that never stops poking me. How does what some other couple, regardless their orientation or race (and lets not forget that not all that long ago interracial marriage was also illegal and allowing that has hurt NO one), affect any one else's marriage? Hetero's don't do all that well at maintaining a lifelong commitment as it is with more than 50% of their marriages ending in divorce and it isn't like they learn from the first mistake (though I did, once was enough for me) because they go on to do it again and again with the same unhappy results. Children of divorce ARE harmed by it, there is little disagreement about that, although in some instances those children are certainly better off not witnessing the daily battle between their parents, but children raised by two loving parents tend to turn out just like this young woman. Perfectly normal and capable of being contributing members of our society. Bigotry is what hurts children and adults. And by this time in our history, given our past, we should all know that. This is an issue whose time has come. It is necessary that we all grow up and live in the world as we are and stop pretending that our way is the only way and everyone else must follow what we personally believe. That isn't how a democracy works and it certainly isn't how love works. Love who you wish, marry who you wish, have children if you wish. Your decisions on these things do not affect my life in any way, apart from the happiness you exude and I inhale and call my own. Make your own choices, allow others the same freedom. That is the moral choice here. Simple as that.

Thursday November 1, 2012, 2:34 pm
Amen! Gene J.

Thursday November 1, 2012, 3:02 pm
Crystal clear! And a point that should be being made on tv in mainstream media.
Thanks!

Thursday November 1, 2012, 3:07 pm
Go Gene! Heterosexual couples can be inconsiderate to each other, beat each other up, mistreat or neglect children, and generally behave horribly and no one questions the "rightness" of their union. Gay folks who behave lovingly, parent lovingly and thoughtfully, and are good citizens are still subject to discrimination and oppression, as are their kids. This is prejudice, pure and simple.

Thursday November 1, 2012, 4:16 pm
My immediate neighbours are two "Gay" men. One had been married with a family, the children now adults. He is still friends with his former wife, his family AND his children occasionally visit and stay on the property,. All of the residents along this rural road (Six residences). one elderly couple who are Church going Christians the rest, to my understanding are not, have the same attitude to these two gentlemen as we do to the rest of us. i.e. NO DIFFERENT. But then, generally, Australians do not, thankfully, have the same intensity of religious commitment as Americans and therefore the same applies to the lack of religious bigotry we, comparatively, experience.

This doesn't mean there aren't individuals or even religious groups here who aren't homophobic bigots but they are, compared to the U S A, very rare.

Thursday November 1, 2012, 5:43 pm
Several different life experiences, yet all comments recognize that when the question is what is good for the children, heterosexuals may not be the best for all children. Thanks Tom, Lauren, Susan and Gene (that was phenomenal)--green stars coming your way.

Thursday November 1, 2012, 6:21 pm
Why don't we leave each other alone.

Thursday November 1, 2012, 6:42 pm
Good question Robert.

Friday November 2, 2012, 12:21 am
Gays can raise children just as good as heteros do. Don't make such a fuss about it.

Friday November 2, 2012, 4:56 am
You cannot currently send a star to monka because you have done so within the last week.

Friday November 2, 2012, 8:37 am
What about children from divorced parents? Do they have a bad life. I think it can be good for a child to have twoparents no matter what sex they are.

Friday November 2, 2012, 12:48 pm
I was raised by straight people who hated my guts.

Friday November 2, 2012, 1:20 pm
You cannot currently send a star to Gloria because you have done so within the last week.

Friday November 2, 2012, 3:19 pm
so...some people are raised by a grandma and aunt...or uncle and grandma...or older sister..or just grandma...ect. These people are NOT married to each other (related tho by blood)..and NOT having sex with each other. Like a "man and wife" but the kids turn out ok.
Also unmarried "man and wife" having kids...raising them and the kids turn out ok.
So...if kids turn out ok, what differance does it make if the adults raising them are same sex or not?
When the lights go out at night, what business is it of anyone what goes on in the bedroom? What goes on in the family room, the kitchen, etc is what counts. Kids fed, hygiene is good, no beatings, etc.

Friday November 2, 2012, 6:30 pm
Excellent points Gloria: You cannot currently send a star to Gloria because you have done so within the last week.

Saturday November 3, 2012, 12:48 pm
'Love thy neighbor as thyself', has completely eluded the far-right.
This is how you know that they don't actually, believe what they preach. They are about as far from 'true' Christianity as you can get. They don't fool anyone, except the extremely gullible and uneducated.
The probem is, there are too many of the above mentioned, and keeping people them in this negative state is their goal.

EDUCATION IS THE KEY.
It always have been.

Saturday November 3, 2012, 12:51 pm
Sorry ~

It always _has_ been.

Sometimes, my brain gets ahead of my grammer.
I guess that's not arduous, when you aren't certain, exactly, where your brain is, at the moment.

Saturday November 3, 2012, 1:02 pm
Yes Charlene, education is key...however we seem to have the situation of there being "none so blind as he who will not see" and being able to "take a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

Saturday November 3, 2012, 4:29 pm
This old codger thanks you Charlene .it appears I am unable to access your profile to thank you directly.

Education is the key to all enlightenment. As the U S A ranks close to the bottom of the heap of so called advanced nations educationally, maybe this is the reason there is also a general lack of enlightened thinking.

As for "True" Christianity, from my observation, it is usually interpreted as being the "Christianity" I follow.
There is some doubt that there ever was a "Jesus" but presuming there was, and the Biblical stories resemble some actual events, then one must come to the conclusion that Jesus was a pioneer "Socialist." Now that term alone would send shivers along the spine of most Republican Fundamentalist Christians. Then harping back to the main topic there is always a suspicion about a group of MALES collectively cohabiting. I doubt that many in that mob would have been vehemently outspoken against the "Love of Man"...

J L A I think the term is really, at the risk of being accused of pedantry, "Those who do not WISH to see. One has only to listen to "Blind" followers of a Religion, or a Political party, or even a leader who will lie, then lead those who stumble blindly along the indicated path, being directed to spout religious tracts, or their political equivalent, because they are not capable of THINKING .for themselves. I once gave to a young S D A friend my own evaluation of the story of the Biblical Ark pointing out its total impossibility from a maritime engineering and a physics point of view. I asked her to read it and tell me her opinion. She returned to say she had given it to her "Pastor" who advised her to have nothing to do with it and throw it away. Both of them did not WISH to see.... TRUTH.

Saturday November 3, 2012, 4:41 pm
Tom, you expanded eloquently on the themes others discussed in comments--thank you so much for this enhancement. You may well be closer to original quote, if so I stand corrected. Both wish and will express volition and intent, and the intent clearly is not to risk straying from chosen beliefs. Most Biblical scholars emphasize the type of writing/story telling in the period of history the Bible's books were being written, which means most were never intended to be taken literally by their authors--especially not a 21st century meaning of the words.

Saturday November 3, 2012, 4:42 pm
You cannot currently send a star to Tom because you have done so within the last week.