Civil Union Battle Still Raging

MARK NIESSE Associated Press Writer:

Hawaii, the state that adopted the nation's first "defense of marriage" constitutional amendment a decade ago, has now become the latest battleground in the fight for same-sex civil unions.

It would become the fifth state to legalize the alternative to gay marriage if the Democrat-dominated Legislature and Republican governor approve a civil union law. The measure was passed by the state House this month but it now faces the Senate, where a divided committee is to vote Tuesday.

Republican Gov. Linda Lingle has declined to comment on the issue and it's unclear whether she would veto the bill.

Gay rights organizations argue that civil unions would promote basic equality in the nation's most ethnically diverse state, but opponents fear the erosion of an island culture that values conventional family ties.

John Daley KSL:

A divide appears to be growing within Utah's Republican Party over gay rights, an issue which has captured plenty of public debate over the past few weeks.

Recent comments and poll numbers reveal a sharp divide in the GOP. Which is the face of Republican Utah: Republican state Sen. Chris Buttars or Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman, who recently said he supports an expansion of rights for same-sex couples, including civil unions?

In other points of interest, apparently one of the rights gay activists are fighting for is the right to marry and then quickly divorce without an attempt to resolve petty issues.

A lesbian couple who led the fight for gay marriage in Massachusetts has filed for divorce. Julie and Hillary Goodridge were among seven gay couples who filed a lawsuit that led to a court ruling making Massachusetts the first state to legalize same-sex marriages in 2004. The couple became the public face of the debate in the state and married the first day same-sex marriages became legal.

-Yahoo News: Mass. couple who led gay marriage fight to divorce

Am I opposed to civil unions? Abso-freaking-lutely. In my humble little opinion, civil unions are gay marriage-lite, gay marriage-ette. It is the caffeine free diet Coke of marriage; it's still marriage without the fancy name, and without the delicious taste. In some countries civil unions are identical to marriage. That's reason number one.

Reason two, it won't stop there. Civil unions are like the failed "separate but equal" legislation of the past. By granting civil unions a government is stating yes you are equal, but you are different, and you can't join our married club. Thus, civil unions might be a temporary boost to the gay community, but it won't be enough. It's like giving someone dying of thirst in the desert an Otter-Pop, yes it's delicious, but it doesn't quench your thirst. They will want more, and civil unions will be their foot in the door.

Reason three, I don't think homosexuality is inherent. That is not to say many, and perhaps most of the gay community in all honesty believes it is, and I can understand that. But, in my opinion people are gay for a variety of reasons, whether conscious or subconscious, but it is not genetic. Something in their life sparked a change in their bodies, in their brains that made them that way.

I have no disrespect for the gay community, they are the sons and daughters of God; I simply don't agree with their way of life. I don't believe it is discrimination to not allow gay marriage; in fact, I think that if gay marriage is allowed, it is discriminatory to those who stand against it. Such legislation suggests that traditional views and morals are outdated, and don't deserve to be respected. Behind the guise of tolerance and equality the religious right is intolerated, called names, sued, harassed and wholly treated unequally.

I'll tell you what I do support as far as gay rights. I believe they have every right in the world to live their lives any way they want, to live with and love whomever they chose, so long as it does not infringe on the rights of others (e.g. the supression and disregard of traditional moral thought). I believe God wants man to make their own decisions, to use their own free agency how they see fit, whether it be right or wrong. I believe they are entitled to all the freedoms America affords, so long as it doesn't take away from others.