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noracharlesThis makes me feel like Obama is my president too.
On youtube I saw Obama answer a question about legalizing gay marriage. He said that while "marriage" was a religious institution, he did think it was a question of civil rights that all people regardless of gender should be allowed equal rights to civil unions.
I was glad that he apparently takes civil rights seriously, but also felt that by contrasting civil unions available to same sex couples with religious marriage, he implied that "marriage" was only Christian marriage, and only the flavors of Christianity that restrict marriage to being between one man and one woman at that. Many faiths allow same sex marriage and polygamy, and many atheists enjoy commitment ceremonies that are very meaningful to them without being religious.
I understand that he was under strong pressure from Christian voters to put it like that. I understand that having a different name for the same institution when it applies to same sex couples has very little practical meaning, since the language police isn't going to come after me if I refer to a marriage as a marriage indiscriminately. But it still gives me unpleasant associations to "separate but equal".
Anyway, the symbolic value of inviting these families to the Easter egg roll goes a long way towards easing my resentment of the president.
On youtube I saw Obama answer a question about legalizing gay marriage. He said that while "marriage" was a religious institution, he did think it was a question of civil rights that all people regardless of gender should be allowed equal rights to civil unions.
I was glad that he apparently takes civil rights seriously, but also felt that by contrasting civil unions available to same sex couples with religious marriage, he implied that "marriage" was only Christian marriage, and only the flavors of Christianity that restrict marriage to being between one man and one woman at that. Many faiths allow same sex marriage and polygamy, and many atheists enjoy commitment ceremonies that are very meaningful to them without being religious.
I understand that he was under strong pressure from Christian voters to put it like that. I understand that having a different name for the same institution when it applies to same sex couples has very little practical meaning, since the language police isn't going to come after me if I refer to a marriage as a marriage indiscriminately. But it still gives me unpleasant associations to "separate but equal".
Anyway, the symbolic value of inviting these families to the Easter egg roll goes a long way towards easing my resentment of the president.