What Are You So Worried About?

What is the deal with homophobia? Honestly. I really don't understand what the problem is with allowing gay/lesbian/etc couples to marry.

This has been talked about all over the blogosphere, and I don't know that I have anything really of substance to add to the conversation, but I'm so confused.

Bitch PhD has a lovely entry on it here
And there are some other good points here (that's a really nice blog, by the way, that I should list in my links, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.)

This is an interesting tactic. I guess one of the reasons against a same-sex union is that they can't produce children. So, this is an interesting extrapolation of that conceit.

But what REALLY got me worked up this morning was this.

The Indiana Senate has passed an amendment clarifying that marriage is between one man and one woman. It has to pass the legislature and then the good people of Indiana will vote on it in the 2008 election.

I just don't get it. What are people afraid of? How can loving someone be wrong? Why do they care? What does it matter if I choose to love one man or two? Or a man and a woman? Why can't I declare them to be my family in a legal sense? Why is it that my relationship with Mr is A-OK but two women who love each other and want to dedicate their lives to each other are wrong? I don't see how being able to legally choose who is your family - and thereby who benefits from your health insurance, who can make decision about your health, who can raise your children - is any of the court's business. I've yet to hear an argument that makes sense.

I would really like to hear, honestly, what is so fucking scary about same-sex marriage. Or plural marriage, or whatever. Now, I know that plural marriage carries a whole lot of other taboos and most of these measures are directed at same-sex couples, but they are stipulating ONE man and ONE woman. Bigamy does have the potential for people (usually women) to get taken advantage of. However, so does lots of other socially-acceptable relationships.

I like to think that we live in a society where people are respected as people regardless of their religion, race, or sexual orientation. It frustrates me so much to see that we haven't come that far as a society after all.

If anyone out there has a logical explanation for me, I would really like to hear it. I don't think I have a ton of regular readers, but if you do feel inspired to comment or start a discussion, please keep it nice. I want to know your thoughts about the issue, not how you think I'm going to hell for thinking it is ok for people to love whomever they love.