Here we go again...

(Just a note: This is sort of political, though I would argue that it's really not. Anyway, please don't hate me. )

Let's get one thing straight: being straight doesn't make someone a "better parent".  I feel like I have to respond to this because a certain teacher of mine was talking about gay marriage, and said, "Of course, all things being equal, you would want a child to be raised by a married straight couple.  But not all things are equal, so there are a lot of gay people who would make better than parents than people who really shouldn't be parents."

First of all, WHAT?  Secondly, are you serious?  What you're saying is that, sometimes, a "mildly abusive" parent is preferable to a gay one, but a gay parent is better than one who "beats their children with hoses and lighters and stuff" (this teacher isn't the very brightest).  Because, you know, being raised by gay people is a form of abuse, but a relatively minor one.

I hate it when people try to argue for something logical with illogical reasoning; it makes everyone else on that side look stupid too.  Especially when there are so many better arguments, like that not allowing gay people to marry is unconstitutional.  The only arguments I have ever heard against it are based on religious beliefs, so if church and state are truly separate, there is no issue at all.  Or, at least, there shouldn't be.  Sanctity of marriage?  Seriously, wouldn't you think that people who want to be married so badly that they will fight, and protest and endure harassment for it care more about marriage than anyone on the cover of a tabloid.

Some people have said that if gay people are allowed to raise children, their kids will be made fun of for having gay parents.  Well, guess what?  That's entirely counterproductive as a debate topic.  It's the homophobia inherent in statements like this that creates harassment in the first place.  Parents make these statements, children hear them, their discomfort is internalized by the children, and use these words to create the hostile atmosphere the parents claim to fear.  Sure, they're "not homophobic," they "just think that marriage should be between a man and a woman".  But that's where intolerance starts, and allowing it to continue is oppressing a huge number of GLBTQQPA* individuals.

At some point, our society is going to have to change.  At some point, it will no longer be acceptable to treat gay people as second-class citizens.  And at some point, it will be ridiculous that this was even an issue.  We are liberalizing as a society, and the great-great grandchildren of these ruthless bigots will remember their ancestors will nothing but shame.  I don't normally make absolutest statements, but this is one issue on which it is totally unacceptable to compromise.  This repression is literally killing people, and there isn't anything for homophobes to hide behind any more.

*For the sake of simplicity, I've used the word "gay" to represent all people who identify as not straight.  I know that different groups face separate struggles, and don't necessarily appreciate the generalized term.  I'm very sorry for any offense this may cause.