Why Same-Sex MMMM Matters

July 28, 2009

Why Same-Sex MMMM Matters

admin 2 Comments

Refused Visitation to Dying Spouse : Why Same-Sex Marriage Matters

So, you are most likely wondering what Same-sex MMMM (SSMMMM) is, or you have decided it must be a typo. But no, I meant exactly what I typed. Since a term that belongs with an “M” seems to stop all dialogue because people get afraid that we (gays and lesbians) are trying to redefine it, I thought I would get around that by using the term MMMM. I want to talk about a linked blog that I think illustrates one of the many reasons why SSMMMM is so critical. There are well over 1000 rights and privileges that straight couples enjoy. But is “enjoy” the right term at all? So, I’m emailing a conservative guy I exchanged comments with last week, and asked him to read this post and hopefully add his ideas about the story presented here. I propose that we need equality for gay and lesbian couples to protect families from this type of pain and suffering. That’s why I’m not sure “enjoy” is the right word. I doubt anyone enjoys the right to be with a loved one in extreme sickness or as they are dying.

My question is, is it worth it? Is keeping same -sex couples legally apart worth it when it can cause this type of pain? Or is there a middle ground where equal rights and religious liberty can both exist? I have my ideas on what that middle ground might look like, but I wonder what you think.

Please read the linked story and then add your comments here on the blog.

Refused Visitation to Dying Spouse : Queer Visions | Gay Rights Media.

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Posted in: general, Marriage Equality Tags: Florida, Gay, lesbian, loss Dying spouse, Marriage Equality, MMMM, same-sex marriage

warhistorian

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to offer my comments, but I am afraid I am the wrong person to offer a differing viewpoint under these circumstances. Here’s why: what I did not get an opportunity to say last week, due to time constraints and a desire not to start a blog war, is that I am actually an enigma among people who feel as I do about same-sex marriage. I am, as you well remember, opposed to same-sex marriage. I am, however, in favor of the changing of certain laws that will entitle same-sex couples to the benefits of committed relationship.

Many people have asked me how I can be in favor of these types of benefits for same-sex couples, but still opposed to homosexual marriage. By being opposed to it, I am opposed to a traditional religious arrangement in which two men or two women can enter into a monogamous relationship for the rest of their lives. The key words here are “traditional” and “religious.” My belief system tells me that homosexuality is a sin, just as divorce is a sin. Would it surprise you to know that I don’t think divorced people should be allowed to marry again? That actually puts me at odds with my own father, who is on his third marriage. I simply do not believe that relationships born out of sin should be rewarded with the right to consummate the relationship under the auspices of Jesus Christ. I realize my opinion is not popular in America in this day and age, but that’s where I stand.

The most radical, and least likely, solution I can posit is to continue with the much-invoked separation of Church and State. This means completely separating the religious institution of matrimony from the legal definition of a mutually beneficial relationship. I, for one, don’t see this happening. I don’t want to see it happen. I think a State without God is doomed to fall, but it seems like this would somehow end the debate.

A lot of times, I am told I am being a bigot on account of a simple word. People tell me that what I am proposing is the same thing as marriage, just called something different. Obviously, that is where MMMM comes in. It leaves the word out of the debate. But does that fix the problem?

http://thomascwaters.com admin

I want to say, first, I thoroughly appreciate your willingness to share your opinions here on my blog. I’m wondering if you could say more about Marriage then from the standpoint of do you see a difference between religious marriage and civil marriage. Civil marriage, from my perspective is about a government sanctioned license and legal agreement that all couple are required to acquire. Straight couples then, sometimes follow that with a religious ceremony, which is what I would call religious marriage. The religious ceremony bestows on the couple no legal rights or responsibilities, but does bestow on the couple as well as the religious community within which it occurs some spiritual responsibilities. These two actions (civil marriage license) and religious covenant, really do not have to have anything to do with one another except we have made it a law that to get the second, you must have the first. Do you see this distinction between the two as useful at all in sorting this out?