response 163 of 293:

Dec 14 04:01 UTC 2003

re resp:159: It bugs me to see you stating that anyone who disagrees 
with you must not have any basis for their opinion at all.  The other 
side does the same thing, you know.

I don't agree with anti-gay marriage people, but I understand them to 
some extent.  There are plenty of reasons why they feel that gay 
marriage would weaken heterosexual marriage.  I'll explain some of 
it.  Please understand that I don't agree with a lot of it.  

Government's interest in marriage and need to control it is partly due 
to concerns for children.  Who takes care of the kids?  This is 
important, but pretty much only for heterosexual marriages.

There are employment benefits for married people.  These benefits are 
getting quickly weaker, even now.  If you don't think it would hurt 
married couples to have a lot of what are currently known as "domestic 
partnerships" declared "marriages", you just simply aren't paying 
attention to what the insurance companies are doing now.

It is very important to a lot of people to oppose homosexuality in any 
way possible.  Some people have religious reasons, some are just 
disinclined to accept things that are new to them or which they were 
told in childhood were wrong.  During my time in the National Guard in 
the Upper Peninsula, I observed a great intolerance for ethnic 
minorities, but it was literally *nothing* compared to the intolerance 
for homosexuality.  There was *hatred* for homosexuality among very 
much mainstream people in that area.  The UP is not that much 
different from other rural areas.  The issue is an emotional one for a 
lot of people there and in a lot of America.