I just want to say (re:churches and gay marriage)

[goaskalice]

Holy crap, I intended to respond to this when it was just a few responses but had to go into a meeting. All I've got after skimming 6 pages is there is a lot of pressure on us gays from society right now with DOMA and prop 8 at the Supreme Court and all the local stories of gay wedding discrimination in the media. I've only got enough energy at the end of the day after working and being a normal social human to fight for the civil rights.

We are married in CA, though Oregon doesn't yet recognize it, and we did have 2 ceremonies. One with just our families at the courthouse before prop 8 passed and a religious ceremony with 150 of our friends and family that we'd been planning before the ability to be legally married was on the radar. While I wish there was no need for both, it was important to us to have our marriage certified by the state, even more so than by any religion.

[Jermys]

What really pisses me off is that I, an atheist and my husband, an agnostic, were allowed to get married in a church with no problem. Not even the church in which either of us grew up. It was just pretty and would look good in pictures. And my friends, who have been partners for FIFTEEN FUCKING YEARS and are raising a child together and are both devoutly religious, aren't even allowed to get married at all. That, my friends, is pure bullshit.

Also, fuck this pope in his fucking face for saying that gay people adopting is akin to child abuse. Because you know what is actually akin to child abuse? PRIESTS FUCKING TOUCHING LITTLE KIDS. Clean up your own backyards before you talk about good people, assholes.

[Jermys]

I took my ADD meds so I have been cleaning all day and I have dishpan hands and the shakes

[goaskalice]

Mar 14, 2013 17:49:11 GMT -5 @scottydeux said:

Mar 14, 2013 15:53:49 GMT -5 goaskalice said:

Holy crap, I intended to respond to this when it was just a few responses but had to go into a meeting. All I've got after skimming 6 pages is there is a lot of pressure on us gays from society right now with DOMA and prop 8 at the Supreme Court and all the local stories of gay wedding discrimination in the media. I've only got enough energy at the end of the day after working and being a normal social human to fight for the civil rights.

We are married in CA, though Oregon doesn't yet recognize it, and we did have 2 ceremonies. One with just our families at the courthouse before prop 8 passed and a religious ceremony with 150 of our friends and family that we'd been planning before the ability to be legally married was on the radar. While I wish there was no need for both, it was important to us to have our marriage certified by the state, even more so than by any religion.

Oh, this post isn't referencing any extensive activism, I don't think.  Not using much effort.  I wasn't referencing building ships dedicated to the cause or anything.  lol

I didn't realize you gays were under that much pressure, sorry.  No sarcasm!

Haha. I guess since I hang out with mostly straight people I feel like everyday someone is asking me what I think about the latest issue. It does feel like I'm supposed to be the be all end all authority on all things gay. 

At this point, I'm happy to be able to say since we've come so far pretty fast I'm ok waiting a bit longer for the churches to come around. Most of the time churches do follow government, for example divorce. I know there are restrictions on divorced people in the Catholic Church, but that they even allow it is impressive. I'm not sure what I'm trying to say. 

Thanks for being on our side so enthusiastically, we would still be back at Stonewall if it wasn't for our allies. But my focus is government and civic acknowledgment first and religious acceptance second. 

[underwaterrhymes]

I'm not Catholic and could not personally attend a Catholic church. I cannot get excited about a pope who feels that being gay is wrong, even as I admire his work with the poor and acknowledge that he's far more progressive than the people who have come before him. Although H was raised Catholic, we will not be raising our child Catholic. (Nor will we be raising him Greek Orthodox, which was the church I WAS brought up in and is every bit as discriminatory.)

But this is how I've chosen to express my dissatisfaction. I never felt close to my faith and neither did H.

I can't fault people who love many aspects of their faith, but not its stance on gay marriage or other issues, and want to effect change from within. I think it takes not just the people who stand up and walk out of the church, but also the ones who remain behind and try to exemplify love for everyone who will make a difference together.

I definitely see scotty's opinion because I get fired up about ignorance. I won't eat at Chik-Fil-A (well, I wouldn't even if I did eat chicken) and our son will not be a part of Boy Scouts unless things change. And he won't be raised in the Catholic Church or any other religious institution that doesn't embrace everyone.

I am going to continue to cheer all of the little accomplishments along the way (YAY Massachusetts! YAY Minnesota! YAY Maryland! YAY Iowa!) while hoping for more little stuff (and eventually bigger stuff) to come along. (I am also still going to get pissed off at bigotry and lack of widespread acceptance. I'll take the baby steps, but I'm damn well going to root for some big mother fucking leaps too and get impatient when they don't come as quickly as I think they should.)

But I also am reminded that it was the ones who sat at the Woolworth counter and kept their seats on the bus and braved the crowds to go to school who really made history.

It's not just the petitions and the voting and the calling of Congresspeople that is going to change opinions. It's people showing how love is really just love. And I do think that the best way to do that is often by showing your neighbors how it's done.

[ginger]

mofongo (wtf?!)

I just thought this thread could use one.