Mitt Romney, the Republican president hopeful, was once a strong supporter of equal rights for gays. In 1994, during the Massachusetts Senate race, Mitt Romney’s views on gay equality ran left to those of his opponent, Democrat veteran Ted Kennedy. In 2006, Bay Windows, a Boston gay newspaper published excerpts from a letter then written by Romney to the Log Cabin Republicans, seeking support in the race against Kennedy. He wrote, “If we are to achieve the goals we share, we must make equality for gays and lesbians a mainstream concern.” He went on to write, “My opponent cannot do this. I can and will.” Of course, Romney lost the round. However, it has to be pointed out that he fared better than most other candidates who had, in the past, contested against Kennedy.

Following his failure, Romney continued to woo the homosexual and lesbian community. As recently as 2002, when he was vying for governor, he was at pains to declare his solidarity with the gay community. In 2002, he attended the Boston Gay Pride Parade, and along with his running mate Kerry Healey, distributed fliers, which said, “Mitt and Kerry wish you a great Pride weekend.”

Subsequently however, Mitt Romney flip flopped and radically shifted from his position. He consistently opposed gay marriages and has become an outspoken defender of the institution of marriage, which he says, should be strictly defined as a union only between a man and a woman. Romney, in effect, simply used the gay issue in 1994 to project a reformist face-a strategy that, no doubt, helped him to become governor in 2002. Now, as a Presidential candidate, he has rejected this stand in favor of a more conservative right position that would ensure him his party’s nomination. It is however doubtful whether he will succeed in fooling the voters.

Marriage is more than a piece of paper. It confers numerous benefits, such as health, disability and life insurance, pension funds and tax refunds for spouses. Many gay couples desire to marry and partake in these benefits but have been denied this right because of their sexuality and that is not fair.? According to some individuals, America is the greatest country in the world. It is supposedly filled with opportunities for everyone, not just financially but an opportunity to be free from judgement. This is not true. Everyday, millions of people are denied a right many take for granted. Gay couples in most states cannot marry because it is illegal to marry someone of the same sex and that is not fair.

Marriage is a legal commitment between two consenting adults. It is about sharing, love, trust, and legal status. Two adults who make this private personal choice to form a life-long commitment should not be denied the right to marry just because their sexual orientation. It is illegal to discriminate against gays seeking employment, education or housing. Gays keep communities safe as firefighters and police officers, staff hospitals, and pay taxes. Denying gay couples the right to legally marry takes away their legal rights in receiving employee benefits, government benefits, and other benefits that heterosexual couples enjoy.

A person’s sexuality should not be an obstacle to whether he or she wants to marry someone. A gay person has the same needs and desires as a heterosexual individual. The only difference is the way he or she has sex. If two individuals fall in love and wants the same economic advantages that marriage offers heterosexual couples, they should not be denied that right based on their sexuality.

Although American society denies the right to marriage to gays, it glorifies heterosexuals who make a mockery out of marriage by marrying and divorcing a succession of partners. This practice is called “Serial Monogamy” and it is sickening and very hypocritical of American society to stand judgment on gays for their lifestyles but sanctions heterosexuals who do not have good judgment or morals. Most people who are opposed to gay marriage often bring up the Bible, saying that the Bible does not condone the gay lifestyle and that marriage is strictly between a man and woman.

However, these same individuals are often involved in extra-marital affairs, are cohabitating without the benefit of marriage or are gay themselves, hiding behind pious words of morality. Gays are just like anyone else and they deserve to partake in the economic advantages that marriage has to offer. Instead of denying the right to marriage to gays, American society should concentrate on fixing the widening economic gap between the wealthy and the poor and figuring out why American society is the laughing stock of the world.
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I want to know what states allow gay marriage. HTH

Yes they should be allowed this for three main reasons.

1. The term marriage is synonymous with reproduction as a definite purpose. That has been the main reason for people getting hitched and sharing a life together down the centuries. That reason might have lost emphasis over the years but it is still acknowledged as the heart of marriage and long-term relations. Marriage has always been a religious act ever since the Church took it over in the 12th century. It means that the ceremony itself has been indicative of the symbol of love and affection between two people and their desire to procreate and continue our species.

2. A gay couple might not love each other any differently than a heterosexual couple, but they cannot reproduce anything. In fact, left up to gay couples, our species would die out within a generation. When one chooses a lifestyle which goes against the natural order of continuing our world, and adding to it, then the same rules cannot be applied in exact measure. Without doubt, gay people also needed a public affirmation ceremony to show that they too share commitment, loyalty and love, but that cannot be called a ‘marriage’, in every sense of the word, because there will be no unaided reproduction. A civil union is apt in their case because it is a civil partnership, not a religious one which adheres to religious teachings around both genders.

3. Gays cannot have it both ways. They cannot insist on being acknowledged as different from the rest of most of society in their sexuality, yet want all the trimmings etc which goes with being heterosexual. Anything new in society carries new rules, new accessories, a new order of seeing and perceiving. It is inevitable that there will be new untried approaches to how gays are treated, with lots of trial and error, until what feels comfortable by all sections of society is accepted. Moreover, gays can’t be at pains to point out their sexual difference and expect to be treated as such, yet be heterosexual in their provisions.

In simple terms, a marriage is for a heterosexual couple. Gays are not heterosexual. It stands to reason that something else needs to be introduced which suits gays and their situation and is equally acceptable to them. I think a civil union is a very good start because it has full legal backing. It means gays and their relationships can no longer be ignored or treated as invisible and it also lays the foundation for other gradual developments which are both suitable to the gay community and accepted by the majority.

Woody Allen once famously said that an advantage to bisexuality is that it increases your chances for a date on Saturday night. All humor aside, for some people who are attracted to both genders, dating can pose a challenge and, ultimately, issues in a relationship if there is a lack of communication. While one might find a number of articles geared toward straight and/or gay people who have considered dating bisexuals, what about the bisexuals themselves. Especially if you seek a long-term relationship, should you focus your search on “your own kind” or broaden your horizons?

What do you want in a life partner?

Perhaps the greatest misconception about bisexuality concerns the actual sex part. Many may assume that because a person is bisexual they are not interested in marriage or fidelity or “settling down.” In truth, it is possible to enjoy a lasting relationship with one gender or the other and still identify as bi. Just as the world is filled with straight, gay, or lesbian people who indulge in promiscuous behavior, it seems a bit unfair to label a bi person as such. To keep in tune with Woody Allen’s quip, bisexual folks have the advantage of a larger pool of potential mates.

That said, consider what you want in a date, and consequently a mate. If your attraction to both sexes is so strong that you wish to keep options open yet maintain a relationship, your partner should be willing to accommodate you, and you him/her. Dating somebody who is also bisexual can benefit you in that your partner may relate to your feelings where attraction is concerned. However, it doesn’t mean you should rule out a gay or straight potential date entirely. Communicate with the people you meet as you search and gauge their reactions and willingness to compromise. Know, too, that people change over time. What you or a partner wants now may not be the same thing ten years later.

Head spinning yet? Above all else, relax. Let the dating process happen naturally and never take shame in your bisexual nature.

Probably the easiest (and safest) path for gay men to find a date is online dating. If done correctly, gay online dating experience can be a delight. Sure, there will be dreadful dates, but hey, it’s life. I am going to hand you a couple of tips on how to make your gay dating experience more gratifying and safe.

These days the internet is filled with all sorts of dating sites. A lot of them are good, some of them are bad. If the site is young, they could easily fake profiles to make them look like a good service with more members than they actually have, so when you sign up, and pay a few bucks to get your membership, you find out that they have forged most of the good stuff. Therefore before paying, sign up for free membership, or take a free tour, and try to discover if the profiles are for real. I would urge you to stick with the most popular online dating communities, simply because they are safe, and have most members.

When you find a dating site that you like, it is time to find someone to chat with. And it’s better to play it safe before hooking up.

You should take things very slowly when chatting online with a stranger. For your own safety, never give away any sensitive personal information about you, like address or place of work, until you get to know him better.

Before you are going to meet the person your chatting with, I would strongly recommend having a conversation over the phone.
Take your time to get to know the person and ask as many detailed questions as possible before committing to meet. There’s no rush. If you see any warning signs, remember it’s better to be safe than sorry.

If and when you are going to meet, I would recommend meeting in a public place, a place that is comfortable to both of you, if possible, to relieve tension.

Simply the best, universal tip I am going to give you, is to use your common sense, which is quite under appreciated these days.

Finding a date is supposed to be fun experience after all, but try to keep these tips in your mind and you will make it just fine.

why do women and black people who was once thought of as inferior to white men and had to fight for their rights, come together to discriminate against gay people, and put gay people in a position where womens and blacks was once in.
If the bible said black people are supposed to be slaves, and women are inferior to men and can never be equal to men, would you religious type enforce it, like you do with gays??
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How do gay married couples effect your life? Are there hoards of gay married couples blocking the freeway in the morning on your way to work which make you miserable?
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Why you so against it and please don’t say because of the holy bible.
If god forgives everybody sins and you believe being gay is a sin are we not forgiven?
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When I was a child I used to read one of my mother’s magazines every week when she was done with it and left it on the coffee table. There was a weekly article that was the story of a young person’s sexual experiences and the consequences of what had taken place. It was a more elaborate version of an advice column whereby the actual story was the main attraction and the response from the psychologist was just a short paragraph at the end of the article.

I recall some of the stories were bizarre and disturbing incidents where a teenage girl had a forbidden relationship with a cousin or a family friend and things got out of hand. Other versions were sad recounts of events of abuse at the hands of a trusted male figure in the family.

At first, these letters were primarily from young women since the magazine was geared towards the female population (yes, I was a young boy when I read the magazine, but curiosity is normal for boys!). A decade or so later, perhaps in the late ’80s, articles from homosexuals and lesbians started appearing, dealing with similar experiences, except with their own gender. The shock factor of reading these brutally open and honest stories from gays and lesbians wore off after a few months. The complaint letters to the editor subsided through time as well.

This gradual transition, where the society accepted the reality of homosexuality in a Western culture, such as the United States, conditioned the newer generations not to be so fearful of the subject or be judgmental towards the gay and lesbian communities. Throughout the ’90s and the early ’00s, more and more gay and lesbian individuals admitted their sexual orientation and love interests to their friends, families and, through the audio/visual media, to the rest of the world.

More and more articles appeared in newspapers and magazines, discussing the two sides of this reality. Many movies and television programs addressed homosexuality, breaking the Hollywood “taboo” that had once ruled the industry. In fact, many entertainers openly admitted their sexual orientation, in some cases dispelling their public persona and that of their characters.

Let us fast forward to the current dispute over gay marriage. The recent passing of Proposition 8 in California, reiterating the majority of the voters’ view that marriage should be between a man and a woman has polarized not just Californians, but the entire United States as a whole. The smooth transition exercised by the gay activists to highlight their equal rights in our society became a bitter and bloody battle taken to the streets. Reminding us of some horrible events in the history of the humankind in the 20th Century, the two sides started publicly identifying and, in some cases, persecuting organizations and individuals who had made financial contributions to either side of Proposition 8.

Considering the fact that the vote counts for both sides of Proposition 8 were very close, one may return to peaceful approaches to reclaim gay and lesbian rights. My nonscientific poll of friends and families, as well as my extended friends on various social networking sites showed me that the youth between 12 and 25 were primarily against Prop. 8 and do not have an issue with the gay marriage in California. Perhaps Californians will vote for legalization of gay marriage if they are presented with yet another chance to vote for it during the next State elections. Further violence and disturbance may convert those who were sitting on the fence with this debate to the opposition, making it more difficult to pass the legalization law in the future.

Just like many religious and cultural changes in the United States since its birth took decades to be realized, this issue has made a great deal of progress in the past twenty years. We are very close to see the majority’s opinion against gay marriage, which is primarily based on religious beliefs, change towards tolerance and acceptance. Remember the late John Lennon’s immortal verse: “Give peace a chance!”