A few days ago Martin O’Malley, the governor of Maryland, submitted a bill to the legislature to legalize same-sex marriage. Hate groups like NOM have been preparing for this day. So, in our own way I suppose, have my fellow gay and gay supportive Marylanders.
I do not look forward to the brutal, bitter, torrent of hate mongering that is to come. I sure don’t look forward to having to know, as the signs start popping up on front lawns and the bumper stickers appear, which of the neighbors on my block want to cut my ring finger off. My neighbors are generally a good sort of folk I’ve found in the years I’ve lived at Casa del Garrett. Generous and neighborly…at least to my face. But just because someone takes a somewhat liberal stance on a range of issues, does not mean they can see the people for the homosexuals. Take for example the president of our state senate, Mike Miller…
The Democratic President of the Senate in Maryland is urging “Evangelicals, Catholics, African Americans” to oppose an upcoming gay marriage bill, and to vote against one if it ever came to a public referendum. Senator Mike Miller on a radio program said that while he didn’t want to sound like Republican presidential hopefuls, “I’m a father married for 50 years, I got 5 children, I got 13 grandchildren, I’m a traditionalist.” Miller said he wouldn’t stand in the way of a vote, and if there is a vote, as expected, in the Senate, it would again pass. But Miller’s suggestion to minorities and the religious right to oppose an equal rights measure is patently offensive and divisive, and smacks of a Maggie Gallagher move.
Miller, in explaining his opposition, however, did sound like a Republican presidential candidate, saying, “I’m a historian and I look at civilizations, I study civilizations, I read history every night. And I see it’s an attack on the family, I think it’s an attack on traditional families. That’s the way I see it.”
Dig it. He doesn’t want to sound like a republican, but just so you know, homosexuals are a threat to families and to civilization. This is what we’re in for, for the next year or so if this bill becomes law and NOM fires up its mighty Wurlitzer to insure that Marylanders fear, loath and hate their gay and lesbian neighbors enough to deny them equal rights in marriage. But I have a question: has any nation or civilization ever collapsed because its people loved each other too much?
If he’s such a traditionalist, why is he not supporting polygamy?
So much hate under the banner of religion and family and tradition. What a waste of money and energy in the service of “family” values. Bruce, I wish you well in the months ahead.
How many of these ‘traditional family values’ politicians and voters would be willing to give up their right to get a divorce?…or to get re-married over and over again if they so choose? But, of course, that has nothing to do with the ‘break down’ down of the family, nor the amount of infidelity that goes on. It’s alllll OUR fault!
Part of being a mature responsible adult is taking responsibility for your own behavior and problems and not scapegoating others (namely lgbt people).
Early experimental utopian communities in the United States failed, because while they all “loved” eachother equally and tried to raise their many children collectively, it was chaos inducing. You can’t manage a society in chaos.
Richard…I notice you put loved in scare quotes. So you don’t think they were actually loving one another then? So your point is?
Bruce,
Being born raised and still live in MD(Parkville) we know that Maryland is not the liberal state many envision it. Baltimore City, Montgomery, and Prince Georges are liberal oasis while most of the other state is moderate to conservative. Add in the huge influence of the Catholic Church and some African American churches and it is a big hill to climb. I personally am pessimistic about our chances.
If the man sees gay folks as an attack on families he’s not looking at the same thing I’m looking at. And I’m certainly not attacking my own family — hell, I’m the family historian, and the last one on these shores who speaks the language of the old country. And — Not one gay person ever tried to stop or prevent, harass or condemn, or attack or harm any heterosexual marriage or family — ever. The charge is baseless, though vibrant stupidity. As a student of civilizations myself — no civilization or empire ever fell because of what happened or not to families or with gay folks. The idea is preposterous and shows, on his part, actually a pronounced lack of historical knowledge — and more so, an anti-historical wishful thinking and fiction filled fallacy. He’s not fit to use the word “historian.”
But once again, it gives lie to the idea that only Republicans are anti-gay — and that quite a few Democratic constituencies, such as Catholics and African-Americans, are just as anti-gay as fundamentalist Christian Republicans — they are no different than each other. And the sooner gay folks realize that neither party is “pro-gay” the sooner we will stop blaming one while lauding the other, when they both deserve castigation. The only political party that is pro-gay is the Libertarians, and even some of them are not quite sure. But at least they’re not going around saying mush like this man.
LOVE will always trump HATE. Sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes it’s dark, and everything looks hopeless. But as long as there is LOVE, we’ll be able to beat back the darkness and the hatred.
Tim: Yeah… It’s the same with California. Half my family tree is from there and it isn’t the liberal/progressive state people think it is. Central California is more like Oklahoma then what people think of as California. Same with Maryland, though here it’s only the central part of the state that’s somewhat liberal/progressive.
I worry about the coming fight. But sooner or later that fight has to happen.
I’m old and have learned a few things over the course of my life here on this wonderful planet. One thing I’ve learned is that some people are so insecure in their own choices and decisions that any difference smacks of a personal attack. It always says far more about them than it will ever say about those who are different from them. However, those who are different and those who don’t care about such differences are forced to deal with their whining baby tantrums. They turn our lives into schoolyard playgrounds where the bullies rule because some are scared and not enough of the others speak up. I just wish they would take their balls and go play someplace else–anyplace else.
I don’t know what it is going to take before the sleeping majority wake up and realize people like this and Porno Pete and those morons running for the GOP nod are really disturbed individuals who must be stopped from spreading their hate. They seem to think simply because they can whine and cry and scream the loudest, that means they MUST be right. Those who prefer to do our own thinking have a battle to fight. Let’s just hope we win!