I had never seen this episode before and it got me thinking about gay marriage and gay rights in general. I have always been a supporter of equal rights (whether it be in marriage, health care, anything) for gays and lesbians. I don't see this as an "orientation" issue-it's a basic human rights issue. It should not matter if you are gay or not. You should be able to marry whomever you love and you should be able to visit them in the hospital, care for them, adopt a child with them. I had a friend in high school who, because of her religious views, did not want to watch Ellen Degeneres' show because Ellen is a lesbian. I remember being so completely shocked. What happened to judging someone by (as Martin Luther King Jr. so eloquently put it) "the content of their character"? Does character mean anything anymore? I find it so ridiculous that people can discriminate so easily and use faith to do so. I was taught to treat others the way I wanted to be treated and to respect others. I'm glad I was raised in a home that was not directly faith-based. We didn't go to church--we wanted to spend our Sunday's together and read the newspaper and hit up the "church" of Costco! We were raised to treat others well and to always see the good in people- no matter their sexual preference.
This episode brought up the subject of lesbians being able to adopt and who has legal custody over the child. I think if someone wants to adopt a child we should be looking at them as a person first and foremost. Simply because someone is gay doesn't make them unfit to be a parent. If they have a drug or alcohol problem or anger/rage issues, that makes them unfit. I remember reading an article in Seventeen magazine a few years ago [remember I'm 19-I'm just a baby :)] which discussed same-sex parents and their children. I remember the child of one couple said that she was not "turned" gay by having gay parents and that they were just as capable as any other family unit. I think people are so blind-sided by the "gay" factor that they automatically assume that they will be bad parents who will "turn" their children gay. How backwards right? But people honestly and whole-heartedly think that. Who are we to decide what makes a good family? As far as I'm concerned the whole heterosexual "nuclear family" is long dead.
Just some thoughts I've had. It was neat to talk to the guest speaker today. She was very sweet. Allison and I talked to her a bit after class and she was really quite nice. It was interesting to hear from the written journalistic aspect and how she understands and experiences the law. I really do love this class! It's the highlight of my Monday's!
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