Stars on their way to the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles had to pass a group of Christian demonstrators outside who protested against gay marriage and attacked the memory of the late Heath Ledger, a favourite target of militant anti-gay protesters since his role in Brokeback Mountain.As they are quite entitled to do, the US’s free speech laws being far more liberal than our own.
But there are those who can’t see a difference of opinion as simply that, but have to refer to it as ‘hate’ instead:
Referring to the protest, he said: "For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that way of support. We've got to have equal rights for everyone."‘Go sit on the naughty step, protesters, and think about what you have done!’.
And how, exactly, do they not have ‘equal rights’? They have civil ceremonies in practically every state. It isn’t called ‘marriage’ because anyone ‘hates’ gay partnerships, or civil ceremonies wouldn’t have been created in the first place; it isn’t called ‘marriage’ because it isn’t marriage.
And no end of stamping your feet and whining about it is going to make it so:
Backstage, he dismissed the demonstrators' 'Heath in Hell' placards. "I think if we get used to dismissing these kind of comments rather than commenting on them, we'll be better off. It's meaningless jibberish," he said, expressing his sadness at the "culture of ignorance that has bred this kind of hateful expression, that these people have their signs outside essentially telling you that you're less than human".And to counter that, you’d prefer no one acknowledge that they have their own opinions and are allowed to express them.
And you’d like to brand expressing your own opinion as ‘hate’, because, well, who would be in favour of ‘hate’….?
I can’t see that working out too well for the future, but who am I to question the political wisdom of a man who dresses up and plays pretend for a living?
A proper marriage between a man and a woman is one of the greatest things you can ever experience in life. It is how real families are created and nothing ever comes close. Gay is a word to describe happiness, not buggery.
ReplyDeleteI've no objections to civil ceremonies (I've been to three!), I think they are a nice compromise, granting all the legal benefits of marriage.
ReplyDeleteBut this isn't enough for a core of activists - until they get the title 'marriage' they aren't going to stop agitating.
It's not about 'equal rights', it's about rubbing society's nose in their victory...