"Nightline" tackles gay-marriage issue tonight

[gauguin57]

"Nightline: The Marrying Kind"

Today's "Nightline" promo email:

TONIGHT'S FOCUS: This week the Senate is poised to vote on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. It is an amendment that will not pass in the Senate, it is an issue that polls rank low in terms of importance to voters, but it is an issue that is probably one of the most divisive issues in the country.

If you wanted to arouse a passionate discussion in American politics it used to be the topic of abortion that would set people off. In recent times it has been the topic of gay marriage. This week, the United States Senate will vote on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. No one believes it will pass, but that doesn't seem to matter. The President is opposed to gay marriage. Senator John Kerry is opposed to gay marriage. But after that they part ways. The President says we need a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Senator Kerry says to leave it to the states. Of course Senator Kerry's home state is at the epicenter of the debate: in May, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize gay marriage.

Tonight we'll look at why the debate is so passionate and the extent to which it resonates with voters. As strongly as people feel about the issue on both sides, is it likely to determine their vote? Is it a more important issue than jobs, healthcare or the war in Iraq? We'll also talk to two couples in Massachusetts who were plaintiffs in the original case and who won the right to marry in their state. What exactly has changed for them since taking the marriage vows? Why was it so important to be married?

We'll also try to look at the institution of marriage itself, the historical, social and religious roots of marriage and how the institution has evolved over time.

It is a fascinating topic that is guaranteed to arouse passions regardless of which side of the debate you are on.

Ted Koppel will anchor this evening, with reports from correspondents Dave Marash and Ron Claiborne. We hope you'll join us.

Madhulika Sikka and the Nightline Staff
Nightline Offices
ABC News Washington Bureau

[gator_in_Ontario]

1. what is surprising to me

is that it is an issue at all, let alone one that needs to be "tackled".:)

[gauguin57]

2. bumping this

for the night shift.

[gauguin57]

3. TELL me about it.

Rick Sanctimonium is one of my senators. I am SO embarrassed even to live in a state that contains enough people who would vote for that sick effer.

[gator_in_Ontario]

4. Pss-st

I'm from florida

[Loreths]

6. Florida's Senators have it right...

Both Nelson and Graham are going to shoot down the Procedural call and the amendment.

Just a note, the vote this week won't be on the amendment, it will be on whether or not the amendment should come to a vote. That proc call should fail.

[gator_in_Ontario]

11. Graham

was my choice for VP..
It wouldn't of ruffled my feathers for him to be president...an elected one.
He was a great governor

[LittleApple81]

10. And I have Roberts and Brownback...I saw Brownback with a group

of rabid anti-gay marriage people... and he was just pontificating about how it is a danger to society, blah, blah, blah.

And in the house we have Jim Ryun...
Enough said.

[soleft]

5. Ted Koppel just made mince meat out of conservative reverend

Tore his arguments to shreds, made the right's argument look petty, mean, and antiquated

[Malikshah]

7. It was wonderful to watch.

That reverend is old enough to know about denial of rights.

Furthermore, his word choice throughout his attempt to defend his position came off as grandstanding.

Then, of course, he contradicted himself on the adoption issue....marriage b/w a man and woman is necessary for the healthy upbringing of a child, but he's OK with Gay/Lesbian adoption...

Sorry, Rev--you came across as a illogical bigoted blowhard.

Kudos to Koppel. He did it without changing the tone of his voice.

[hughee99]

8. I used to think that

all (or almost all) conservatives were against gay marriage. Now I'm not so sure. My brother is not very religious but is a hardcore freeper in most other ways. I had a 5 hour drive with him a few weeks ago, and I figured this would be a good chance to get into the freeper "mind" (which I use for lack of a better word). He said he has no issues with it, which greatly suprised me. He said if they ever bring it to a vote, he's vote for it too. Since then, I've talked to other conservative friends, who ranged from complete support to apathy, but out of the 10 people I talked to, not a single one was actually against it. Is this one of those issues where they have to find hardcore religious types (or politicians pandering to hardcore religious types) to speak against it on tv, or is it that the conservatives I know are just out of the mainstream?

[LittleApple81]

9. I always liked thinking that Americans were fair in their evaluation

of people... wait...that is just the DIRTY LIBERALS... my bad.

[skypilot]

12. That Rev.Rivers guy...

...was way out of his league. All he could do was keep throwing the word normative around. He also kept throwing in the words moral and philosophical as if using those words automatically meant that he was making a morally and philosophically valid argument against gay marriage.

And as a black man I was particularly taken aback by his argument that gay marriage would have a particularly detrimental effect on the black community by somehow further undermining the black family. Bullshit. We all know that there are lots of children born out of wedlock in the black community. The option to marry is there but, in too many cases, not being taken advantage of. I'd submit that gay marriage could have a positive effect on black families. Maybe if black couples who have children but are not married suddenly notice that gays and lesbians--who generally don't have children--are beating them to the altar they will finally tie the knot themselves and work towards providing the kind of stable, "normative", nuclear family that Rev. Rivers thinks gay marriage puts so much at risk. Gay couples are not blocking the entrances to the church and the court house for black couples with children.