General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: A message to anyone who doesn't support gay marriage. [View all]JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)Much of the debate on DU around this issue, as with so many other issues that get debated here on DU, is not a debate about the intended outcome, but on the tactics used to achieve it.
I'll give two examples, one I saw here on DU, and one that happened to me earlier today.
Example 1:
In a thread either last night, or maybe this AM, some one wrote an OP, and they were clearly (a) gay, and (b) very angry about Amendment 1 passing in NC, and (c) angry at Obama for not taking a sronger stand on this issue. The thread evolved in a manner that I'm sure you can surmise.
At some point, a person responded to the OP, and said that they thought (paraphrase) Obama was smart to not push to hard on this issue because its an issue that might coast him re-election. The OP responded by telling the poster that gays were tired of being told the STFU (again, paraphrasing). The poster responded to that by saying, "I'm gay", and "you don't speak for me or for all gays".
Example 2:
I live in Wake County NC. 57% of Wake County voted AGAINST Amendment 1. This morning, I took my laptop to a local Panera's, got a bagel, and did some email. While I was there, a gay couple I know came in, and they joined me briefly, and we discussed amendment one. I told them I was sorry it passed, that me, my wife and my son voted AGAINST, and that I was very proud that this was my 18 year old son's very first opportunity to vote. Someday, when gays can marry in every state, he'll remember his first vote. We agreed that ultimately, the young are going to fix this stupidity.
Then, Obama came up. And they began to argue. The one guy wanted Obama to fly to NC and hold a rally give his full and immediate support to gay marriage, to which his partner said, "Are you nuts? We need him to get re-elected first!!" They went back and forth. "Leadership" ... "President Romney" ... so on.
I stayed out of it. Until they stopped, and asked me what I thought. At which point I said ... "I'm not sure what Obama should do, but I do know that you two should be allowed to get married ... you already bicker like an old married couple anyway. Might as well let you make it official."