Back to Gay Marriage

Obviously, I am a little biased on this one, since if I were allowed to legally marry the woman I love, we would automatically be afforded many financial and legal protections that we do not currently enjoy. So I have a selfish interest. But I still think it's right to let the gays be free to marry.

When I watched the third debate, I was not surprised by George Bush's statement that he didn't know whether or not homosexuality is a choice. Because clearly if he's agnostic on that point, it gives him room to continue grandstanding about "protecting" traditional marriage. (This seems to imply that if gay marriage were legal that most heterosexuals would suddenly flee traditional marriage for the nearest person of the same sex.)

What I found surprising and appreciated about John Kerry's comments was that he acknowledged that gay people were living as God had intended them to live. To me, this is a more radical statement than I usually hear in the public forum. It was very refreshing, really.

So I was a little surprised that in the post-debate spin, etc., people got upset not about Kerry's theology, but that he referred to Mary Cheney, Dick Cheney's daughter and campaign manager as a lesbian. It did seem a little unneccessary to me, since, first of all I already knew she was gay, and second of all since it seemed like he was using her to make some kind of a point (I admit I wouldn't want to be in her shoes). What I wish is that he'd been able to make that point a little more clear: that Dick Cheney seems willing to sacrifice his own daughter's well-being if it means he'll be able to stir up the base and win an election. I didn't love that Kerry talked about Mary Cheney, but I think the Bush campaign's policies are much worse for her and for all gays.

(Warning: cynicism) I wonder if the next Bush campaign move will be to have Mary Cheney promote the FMA on national television.