Comments on: Iowa Issues Marriage Licenses To Gays

Couples Prepare To Head Down The Aisle As State Becomes 3rd To Allow Same-Sex Marriage

[formrusmcsgt]

Of course, finding bigots here screaming about how ending discrimination will mean the total disentegration of our society as we know it, etc., etc., etc., is a given.

I remember bigots back in the '60's screaming the same stupidity about de-institutionalizing discrimination against blacks.

They're as wrong now as they were then.

Bigots love to see their prejudices codified into law.

[cs4466]

Unless you have kids, there is no need to be married. And gays can't have kids.
Posted by richardj3901 at 11:19 PM : Apr 27, 2009

Wrong.

Many gay families have children either through adoption, previous relationships or through artificial insemination.

[cs4466]

Civil is a two way street and you had hard time hearing your own tone
Posted by Elysiumwarrior at 11:31 PM : Apr 27, 2009

Perhaps - you may have a point. A lifetime of enduring discrimination, hatred and bigotry from people like you has a tendency to harden the heart, and you have done all in your power to reinforce that. Congratulations - in this, you have succeeded.

[cs4466]

This has nothing to do with equal rights, as gays already have 99% of all the rights they need from existing laws and civil unions.
Posted by richardj3901 at 11:19 PM : Apr 27, 2009

Wrong.

What is marriage?
Marriage is a unique legal status conferred by and recognized by governments all over the world. It brings with it a host of reciprocal obligations, rights and protections. It is also a cultural institution. No other word has that power and no other status can provide that protection.

Married couples have over 1,400 rights, protections and responsibilities such as:
Social Security benefits upon death, disability or retirement of spouse, as well as benefits for minor children.
Family and Medical Leave protections to care for a new child or a sick or injured family member
Workers' Compensation protections for the family of a worker injured on the job
Access to COBRA insurance benefits so the family doesn't lose health insurance when one spouse is laid off
ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) protections such as the ability to leave a pension, other than Social Security, to your spouse
Exemptions from penalties on IRA and pension rollovers
Exemptions from estate taxes when a spouse dies
Exemptions from federal income taxes on spouse's health insurance
The right to visit a sick or injured loved one, have a say in life and death matters during hospitalization.
What is a civil union?
A civil union is a legal status granted by a state. The State of Vermont created civil unions in 2000. It provides legal protection to couples at the state law level, but omits federal protections, as well as the dignity, clarity, security and power of the word "marriage".

Civil unions are different from civil marriage and that difference has wide-ranging implications that make the two institutions unequal, such as:

Portability:
Marriages are respected state to state for all purposes but questions remain as to how civil unions will be treated in other states. The two appellate courts that have addressed the issue in Connecticut and Georgia have disregarded them based on the fact that their own states do not grant civil unions.

Federal Benefits:
According to a 1997 General Accounting Office report, civil marriage brings with it at least 1,049 legal protections and responsibilities from the federal government alone. Civil unions bring none of these critical legal protections.

Taxes and Public Benefits for the Family:
Because the federal government does not respect civil unions, a couple with a civil union will be in a kind of limbo with regard to governmental functions performed by both state and federal governments, such as taxation, pension protections, provision of insurance for families, and means-tested programs like Medicaid. Even when states try to provide legal protections, they may be foreclosed from doing so in joint federal/state programs.

Filling Out Forms:
Every day we fill out forms that ask us whether we are married, single, divorced or widowed. People joined in a civil union do not fit in any of those categories. People with civil unions should be able to identify themselves as a single family unit yet misrepresenting oneself on official documents can be considered fraud and can carry potential serious criminal penalties.

Separate and Unequal?Second Class Status:
Even if there were no substantive differences in the way the law treated marriages and civil unions, the fact that a civil union remains a separate status only for gay people represents real and powerful inequality. The United States Constitution requires legal equality for all. Including lesbian and gay couples within existing marriage laws in is the fairest and simplest thing to do.

Ending a Civil Union:
If you are married, you can get divorced in any state in which you are a resident. But if states continue to disregard civil unions, there is no way to end the relationship other than establishing residency in Vermont and filing for dissolution there. This has already created problems for couples who now have no way to terminate their legal agreement.

[eus109937]

Liberty, equality and justice are the core of American values and the Iowa courts have upheld these wonderful beliefs. It is such a wonderful day to be American when we know that our values are being upheld in the courts and people will be treated fairly and equally in the laws.
Way to go Iowa, way to go!!

[cs4466]

I knew that ,you are not that bright to figure those censor proof riddles ....The science have already establish that gay persons mind is inadeqate and you are certainly displaying that fact to the shazmigangs .....Yes?You are cunfused and do not know yourself and at the same time making a claim on the English language is absolutely bewildering to the fearless elysiumwarriors......
Posted by Elysiumwarrior at 11:07 PM : Apr 27, 2009

I apologize - I didn't realize you are mentally and/or socially challenged. Best wishes to you in your future in your quest for grasping the basics of language, respect, civility and reading comprehension.

[cs4466]

What can people do to diminish prejudice and discrimination against lesbian, gay, and bisexual people?

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual people who want to help reduce prejudice and discrimination can be open about their sexual orientation, even as they take necessary precautions to be as safe as possible. They can examine their own belief systems for the presence of antigay stereotypes. They can make use of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual community?as well as supportive heterosexual people?for support.

Heterosexual people who wish to help reduce prejudice and discrimination can examine their own response to antigay stereotypes and prejudice. They can make a point of coming to know lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, and they can work with lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals and communities to combat prejudice and discrimination. Heterosexual individuals are often in a good position to ask other heterosexual people to consider the prejudicial or discriminatory nature of their beliefs and actions. Heterosexual allies can encourage nondiscrimination policies that include sexual orientation. They can work to make coming out safe. When lesbians, gay men, and bisexual people feel free to make public their sexual orientation, heterosexuals are given an opportunity to have personal contact with openly gay people and to perceive them as individuals.

Studies of prejudice, including prejudice against gay people, consistently show that prejudice declines when members of the majority group interact with members of a minority group. In keeping with this general pattern, one of the most powerful influences on heterosexuals? acceptance of gay people is having personal contact with an openly gay person. Antigay attitudes are far less common among members of the population who have a close friend or family member who is lesbian or gay, especially if the gay person has directly come out to the heterosexual person.

[cs4466]

That's what I said. And it also pertains to the labels you used.
Posted by slownewsday05 at 10:45 PM : Apr 27, 2009

Bigotry and hatred are not labels, as anyone who is a target of these very real threats can attest. Ask the Jews or gay people in the concentration camps of WWII if bigotry and hatred are labels. Ask the black people who were forced to use different water fountains or sit at the back of the bus. Ask the gay people who are not allowed to visit critically ill partners because they are not considered to be family members. These things are real and are not to be so easily dismissed as "labels".

[cs4466]

Yes? oldies like you would love to say that and I am sure those lesbian couples that you are refering to are probably in the same age group ,But again you would never accept that would you ..I know lesbians and gays on the back of my hand chicklet its your own ignorance to assume things about shazmigangs ...And your gay uglards being interesting in my asss as matter of dime a dozen and this man is not interested in f-ing a man ...I only love women cheese cake buttt madam cs69.....Let me ask you a question since you claim to be a super dungeon d-y-k-e have ever seen 250 lesbians in one room from 18 years old to my grand ma like you ......
Posted by Elysiumwarrior at 10:40 PM : Apr 27, 2009

Chicklet? Who calls someone else "chicklet"? What does that mean?
Uglard? What is an uglard? What does that mean?
Shazmigangs? What is shazmigangs? What does that mean?

Does your bigotry and hatred take over the learning and speech centers of your brain? Interferes with your ability to communicate with English?

Get back to me when the drool subsides and you're able to communicate like an adult. Or if you prefer to mindlessly rant, feel free to continue. Either way, it makes no difference to me.

[slownewsday05]

My point? I believe the labels themselves are really the root of most issues like this.
Posted by slownewsday05 at 10:11 PM : Apr 27, 2009

You believe labels are the root cause behind issues such as intolerance, bigotry and hatred?
Posted by cs4466 at 10:13 PM : Apr 27, 2009

That's what I said. And it also pertains to the labels you used.