BrianFlanagan

I sent my Dad your video. We're Canadian so the gay marriage thing is NBD up here.

He isn't religious and is normally a very down to earth guy who, for whatever reason, doesn't think gay people should raise children. He has no problem with gay people themselves, or gay marriage. His issue is specifically when children get involved.

Arguments usually go something like this: "If you're gay and choose to get married, that's fine, go right ahead. But a child can't choose to grow up in a gay household and it isn't fair to force that life on them. Because gay people can't create children on their own, society has input" I try to stress the, "But if a child is growing up in a household with two parents that love them (and each other) how can that be a bad thing?" To which he argues, "If I child could choose to be raised by two gay people that is different, but babies and young children can't make that informed decision." I think it's ignorant to have that opinion; however, I (in theory) support that we're all entitled to our own opinions. In this case, I'm also entitled to try and change his opinion because he is old and wrong.

Thanks for ammunition in my battle for him to realize we're all just people.

Cheers.

A good friend of mine is a gay Muslim. He was outed in a very public fashion (was caught with a boyfriend) He offered possibly the best critique of his dating habits.

"Gay Muslim boys have Muslim families. I've already been rejected and shamed by my own family, I don't need to experience that again. So until something dramatically shifts, I'm sticking to WASP guys with families that wont hate me for being gay and/or Muslim."

He tells it as a joke, but the truth is deafening. The two sides of himself are truly opposite.

Good luck to you.

Thanks I will.

I think my biggest problem is I need him to realize that his opinion matters. Whenever he contradicts himself (because of the nature of this argument, he does so often. Ex: Q: If children need, food, shelter, love, etc. A: What prevents gay people from providing this?) he uses "That's just my opinion, I'm just one person and my opinion doesn't matter."

I've tried the we're all just one person, and when all those "one persons" (sic) get together we form a society. Society and persons (sic) make the laws. Therefore, your opinion matters.

Good luck.