A Quote from a Rather Useless Senator, Reinterpreted

[sdelmonte]

From the NYTimes.com article on the failed anti-gay marrige vote:

"Marriage does matter," said Senator Wayne Allard, Republican of Colorado and the author of the amendment. "It matters to our children, it matters in America. Marriage is the foundation of a free society and courts are redefining marriage."

Sen. Allard says this with bile and contempt. But I would use the same words with some pride. Marriage does indeed matter. It is the foundation of our society. And it is being redefined, by the courts but also by the people. It is being redefined because it matters that much. It matters to everyone who understands what love and commitment and devotion are all about, to men and women, to gay and straight and bi and poly, to all of us. It is only fools like Sen. Allard who would define a free society by deprieving some of its members of the freedom to love and marry as they choose.

Comments

[chaos-wrangler.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on most of that, but then there's this: Marriage does indeed matter. It is the foundation of our society.

If you'd said "family is a foundation of our society" I'd have been willing to agree all the way, but it seems to me that lately *way* too much importance has been given to marriage (in whatever form(s)). What about people who choose not to marry their SOs? Or who have no SOs? Or who choose to marry someone knowing that their choice of spouse will separate them from their family/friends/neighbors (i.e. will in some way "undermine" society)? Right-wing religious Jewish and Christian society in this country cares a great deal about marriage, but to define "our society" by right-wing religious Jewish and Christian concerns is narrow-minded.

And on a personal note, as someone who not that long ago was seriously looking at the possibility of never marrying, I find the suggestion that "marriage is the foundation of our society" insulting because it suggests that if I had taken that route I could never be fully part of society, except maybe by supporting other people's marriages. (No, not feeling that you insulted me by writing it, since I doubt that thought ever occurred to you, but I spent enough time as an "old maid" to be sensitive about it.)

[poltr1]

These quotes from Sen. Allard make me wonder if he's a member of the Promise Keepers, a conservative Christian mens' organization, or is strongly influenced by them. (Note that the org is based in Colorado.)

I hve a lot of other thoughts on the issue. I'll save them for a future LJ entry.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

*standing ovation*