www.townhall.com/columnists/debrasaunders/printds20041110.shtml
Throughout history, same-sex marriage has been illegal. In 1996, President Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, so that states could refuse to recognize same-sex marriages from other states. Sen. John Kerry opposes same-sex marriage but supports civil unions for same-sex couples. President Bush has about the same position as kerry, except that he alos supports a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
So it is odd that, according to pundits and readers, event though majorities of voters opposed same-sex marriage, only the GOP is the homophobic party???
In 2000, 61 percent of California voters approved Proposition 22, also dubbed the Defense of Marriage Act, which declared, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." If the GOP is the homophibic party party for opposing same-sex marriage, then California is the homophobic state.
On Sunday, Bush guru Karl Rove told Fox News that the president will push for a constitutional amendmant against same-sex marriage because "We cannot allow activist local elected officials to thumb their nose at 5,000 years of human history abd determine that marriage is something else."
Rove's point about 5,000 years of history strikes at the heart of the debate. It is insane to blame George Bush for adhering to values dear to Americans since before the American Revolution.
Twenty years ago, same-sex marriage wasn't an issue. Acording to Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, no nation sanctioned the practice until the Netherlands did so in 2001.
In other words if Rove wasn't 100 percent right about marriage over the millennia, he was right about the last thousand years.
The point of this column: Advocates should stop dismissing everyone who is agianst same-sex marriage as homophobic or hate-filled. Exit polls showed that 27 percent of voters who support same-sex marriage, while another 35 percent support civil unions. These numbers tell you that it is only a matter of time before federal law recognize the legal rights of gay and lesbian couples.
It doesn't help when advocates demonize those who hesitate to change laws that have existed for a long time and that shape American families. It doesn't help when they blame Bush voters for sentiments also shared by Kerry voters. It doesn't help because it shows America that same-sex marriage advocates, who complain about being demonized, are happy to demonize GOP voters when it suits their purposes!!
Throughout history, same-sex marriage has been illegal. In 1996, President Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, so that states could refuse to recognize same-sex marriages from other states. Sen. John Kerry opposes same-sex marriage but supports civil unions for same-sex couples. President Bush has about the same position as kerry, except that he alos supports a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
So it is odd that, according to pundits and readers, event though majorities of voters opposed same-sex marriage, only the GOP is the homophobic party???
In 2000, 61 percent of California voters approved Proposition 22, also dubbed the Defense of Marriage Act, which declared, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." If the GOP is the homophibic party party for opposing same-sex marriage, then California is the homophobic state.
On Sunday, Bush guru Karl Rove told Fox News that the president will push for a constitutional amendmant against same-sex marriage because "We cannot allow activist local elected officials to thumb their nose at 5,000 years of human history abd determine that marriage is something else."
Rove's point about 5,000 years of history strikes at the heart of the debate. It is insane to blame George Bush for adhering to values dear to Americans since before the American Revolution.
Twenty years ago, same-sex marriage wasn't an issue. Acording to Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, no nation sanctioned the practice until the Netherlands did so in 2001.
In other words if Rove wasn't 100 percent right about marriage over the millennia, he was right about the last thousand years.
The point of this column: Advocates should stop dismissing everyone who is agianst same-sex marriage as homophobic or hate-filled. Exit polls showed that 27 percent of voters who support same-sex marriage, while another 35 percent support civil unions. These numbers tell you that it is only a matter of time before federal law recognize the legal rights of gay and lesbian couples.
It doesn't help when advocates demonize those who hesitate to change laws that have existed for a long time and that shape American families. It doesn't help when they blame Bush voters for sentiments also shared by Kerry voters. It doesn't help because it shows America that same-sex marriage advocates, who complain about being demonized, are happy to demonize GOP voters when it suits their purposes!!
