California's Same-Sex Marriage Ruling Misses Point

Sometimes a heated issue can miss prominent issues.

Take the same-sex marriage issue. Those who are not in favor of same-sex marriage often get painted as "homophobic" by left-wingers. That stereotype might be true in some cases but to suggest it is automatic that those opposing the same-sex marriage are "homophobic" or "anti-gay" is nonsense at best.

The California Supreme Court recently overturned the same-sex marriage ban by a margin of 4-3, which had been in effect since 1977, which means that gay and lesbian couples are preparing to get married in that state. Despite this, a November constitutional amendment vote to ban same-sex marriage by the citizens could happen because of the efforts of conservative groups, according the San Francisco Chronicle which would dispel the court's ruling.

The same-sex marriage issue will be one of many issues that bear watching in the upcoming general election with Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain. Well, at this stage it's looking more like McCain versus Obama.

Personally, I am not in favor of same-sex marriage and I am a conservative of the right-center variety as opposed to "far right." However, my reason for not being in favor of same-sex marriage might not be the same as some conservatives. For starters, I'm not against homosexuals. There are plenty of people who live that lifestyle that are leading successful lives and are good people in the process.

There is an ongoing debate on "why" someone leads such a lifestyle such as "genetics" or is it simply a "choice." I haven't really been convinced that either one is hard evidence so I'll say it could be a combination of both but that's immaterial. I do not approve of that lifestyle but I would never condemn the people who live it. For example, I think the hard-core conservatives who against homosexuals because "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam Steve," or because "God made man and woman to be together." In my mind those arguments are short-sighted and ignorant.

While I would be amenable to the same-sex couples have the same rights legally and privilege-wise as heterosexual married couples, I cannot bring myself to supporting constitutional amendments to ban same-sex marriage.

My reason is simple. When children come into the world, they need a mother and father. What about single parents you say? Sometimes that can't be helped whether couples divorce or have children out of wedlock. The bottom line is that while many gender roles have overlapped throughout the years. For example, men have taken on some traditional female roles that involve domestication. On the flip side, many females have taken on some traditionally male oriented roles.

However, there are still going to be things that a man is going to be more adept at providing than a female and vice versa. Such as when my daughter reaches puberty, I might be able to verbally tell her the symptoms she can expect to have when she has her period but my wife telling her will have more credibility because she's a woman. If I have a son that wants to play football, who do you think can teach him a three-point stance better, my wife or me? I think the answer is rather simple.

And another one people need to think about when it comes to supporting - or not supporting -- the issue of same-sex marriage.

SOURCE:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/15/BAGAVNC5K.DTL&type=gaylesbian