LGBT Duers who believe in marriage...

[foreigncorrespondent]

...I am putting together an article about why the gay community wants the right to marry. I know my reasons for marriage (which I will give in a minute), but I would like other peoples reasons as well.

My reason is simple. I am in love with a woman. This woman is not only my best friend, but my soul mate, and I would like the right to marry her, so I can make the ultimate commitment to her.

So what is your reasons for wanting the right to marry?

[La_Serpiente]

1. I haven't found my soulmate yet

but I would want to marry my future companion because I would like to have the interdependence that married couples are entitled to.

[Ilsa]

2. Did you see ABC's This Week yesterday?

I really liked what one of the speakers in the discussion said. He was telling George Will et al that "I don't want the right to marry ANYBODY, I want the right to marry SOMEBODY". I thought it was a poignant and thoughtful statement about the seriousness of commitment and that gays and lesbians "get that", it is not a game they are playing.

But I don't meet your criteria for posting in this thread as I am not L. (Good luck getting the whole deal. I was "converted" a number of years ago from hateful thinking to a more accepting and nonjudgemental way of life. I hope marriage becomes the norm.)

[roughsatori]

4. Thanks for posting that Ilsa. It is great to read a progressive post

from a heterosexual Dem regarding Gay and Lesbian rights at DU. :)

[foreigncorrespondent]

5. I wish I had seen the ABC interview...

...but I am in Australia, so I rely heavily on questions I ask here at DU, my American partner, the news, and other Web sites apart from DU to stay informed.

And congratulations on learning tolerance and acceptance. :)

[roughsatori]

3. Someone posted a link to a list of things denied gays and lesbians

who are in committed relationships. The list is over 1000 benefits-- things like inheritance,tax breaks and the right to visit a dying partner in the hospital. Maybe someone has the link.


I am a Citizen of the USA and under the Constitution I am entitled to the same rights as Heterosexual Citizens--even if the Republicans are against that and the Dems don't think it important.

I will fight the Republicans, who want to actively deny Gay and Lesbian rights, as well as any Dem who would have gays and lesbians put that fight on the back burner so that the Democratic party can continue to talk out of both sides of its mouth regarding this issue.

[Ilsa]

6. Mike Malloy read from a list on his show tonight.

He was talking about how Henry Hyde had commissioned the HHS Dept to find/list all laws, federal benefits, benefits to fed employees, etc that required marriage. The list was thousands long, many things the rest of us as heteros take for granted. I wonder if he will post it on his site or provide a link?

I wasn't born a compassionate Dem. It took some years of soul-searching, discussing issues with friends whose intellect I respect, and lots of reading to bring me around to a logical and compassionate way of thinking, i.e., Democratic.

BTW, I have actually heard crappy arguments against GL marriage that focused on the rent control issue in NYC, and that legal marriage would open up a whole new set of relationships that landlords would have to honor. By that point in the argument, they were scraping rock-bottom for reasons...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

7. Here is the link to the GAO report and to HRC's report

http://www.gao.gov/archive/1997/og97016.pdf

http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=LGBT_Families

[roughsatori]

8. Thanks NSMA, you're still one of the greatest

I bookmarked them this time. :)