The main problem with “partnerships” and “civil unions” instead of “marriages” is apparently that a lot of law texts and such specifically talks about marriages, so they might not actually apply unless the union in question is called a marriage. (One solution would be to say “and this civil union shall be considered a marriage whenever that concept comes up in any law or regulation”, but I’m not sure if that’d fly with the kind of people who oppose calling it a marriage in the first place.)

I want equality under marriage.  Treatment of gays is reprehensible.  None of my comments should be see otherwise.

My point was about American’s in general and how we deal with disagreement.  Not just this, but in almost every aspect of life.  The current hubbub is an example.

Righteous indignation can stem from serious injustice.  Chick-Fil-A’s indignation does not.  Gay rights supporters indignation does.  It’s the attitude of “How dare they!” from both sides that bothers me.

Chick-Fil-A is in the wrong, but I’ll defend their right to say stupid things.  That right to speak an open mind is a critical tool for gay rights.  It is to be defended.

But going back to my original comment: it’s a hubbub because that’s the way we like it.  It’s our culture.  I apologize that I am not articulate enough to make it clear I am objecting to American style conflict resolution, not gay rights.

Unless you’re British and you eat innuendo and shit recrimination.

I’m British and your comment made me laugh. Cheers!

HAHAHAHAHAH!!! 

I mean, they’re angry because they, I dunno, fear change and thing the gays are evil.  I’m angry because some members of my community get stabbed for talking, get fired for being out, aren’t allowed to co-adopt, aren’t allowed to teach children…  I’m angry because the anti-gay rhetoric leads to our agonizingly high teen suicide rate.  I’m angry because people, including me, are getting hurt.

I don’t like being angry, and I’d be thrilled if I could stop having this conversation.  I don’t like this fight.  I just can’t stop until we have equality under the law.  Consider a playground.  A bully torments a smaller kid for half a year with no one looking, so that the kid lives in fear.  The kid gets hurt if the bully catches him outside of school.  Eventually the smaller kid starts shouting back and throws a punch.  The bully hits pretty hard, other kids show up to tell the bully to stop, and a teacher comes and suspends both the bully and the victim.

You’re not the wrongheaded teacher, here.  You’re the person standing on the sidelines with no fucking clue, saying “kids just like to fight.”

People need to very clearly understand a couple of things about Chic-Fil-A:

1. For every dollar they earn, some percentage (typically assumed to be about 3%) goes toward anti-gay propaganda. Even if you eat at the one store not stating they support this goal, the owner there only retains a percentage of the profits himself. The rest revert to corporate, where they can do as they please. Since they please to raise funds for hate, that’s what part of your money will go to.

Note, that he also didn’t say, “I won’t contribute to those organizations.” Instead, he’s just making sure his restaurant is full during gay pride. 

2. CfA doesn’t only discriminate against homosexuals. They have been successfully sued for discrimination on both religious and gender grounds. Currently GLAAD has a lawsuit against one CfA store where four separate women were terminated so they could go be “stay at home” moms. Their positions were filled by men, and they had been satisfactory employees up to dismissal.

http://www.glaad.org/files/101150536-Lawsuit_1.pdf

BB may have already posted a link to the 2007 article by Forbes which discusses the firing of a moslem manager-in-training, who lost his job the day after he failed to participate in a prayer to Jesus.

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2007/0723/080.html

So, they ARE breaking Constitutional law. In fact, what they’re doing is against The Civil Rights of 1964. They’re claiming that it’s OK because they’re Christian.

SCOTUS wouldn’t agree.

This is what they have to say about people trying to use religion to skirt secular law. 

“The right of free exercise does not relieve an individual of the obligation to comply with a valid and neutral law of general applicability on the ground that the law proscribes (or prescribes) conduct that his religion prescribes (or proscribes).
To make an individual’s obligation to obey such a law contingent upon the law’s coincidence with his religious beliefs, except where the State’s interest is “compelling” — permitting him, by virtue of his beliefs, ‘to become a law unto himself,’ … contradicts both constitutional tradition and common sense.” 

In a land that allows freedom of religion, you cannot allow religion to dominate secular law.

You need to remember: CfA is neither a church nor a not-for-profit organization. They are a for-profit secular organization using funds to promote discrimination. They are NOT protected by First Amendment extensions, and civil rights exclusions. They are performing discrimination within their own stores – as proven by successful lawsuits against them. The only reason that the lawsuit numbers are so low, is that employees are carefully vetted before employment. To even get hired at a CfA, you are expected to make claims about religion, intent to marry, and intent to stay with the company – for the rest of your life.

Americans like to get riled up and shout at each other.  It’s not about solving problems, it’s about being louder than those you disagree with.

You seems to be rather riled up too.  Hope it made you feel better to call me illiterate.  It was a good shout.

I think most gay folks these days would approve highly if the Repubs came out in favor of civil unions that were marriage in all but name at this years convention. Or did you mean something else by “separate but equal”?

Yes of course, I’ve linked to it a number of times now, and in threads you commented in too. Exodus is another one.

“venerable”

I see what you did there…if you want to take issue with their take on these groups then by all means let’s have it.

If they stated that they would cut ties with those groups that would be a good start indeed!, but the other groups they give to are just as bad, never mind the general culture surrounding the business.

If you eat it, you’re probably a dumb shit redneck.

And yet, fast food is a largely urban phenomenon.

Why does everyone care about this so much?

Because the business owner is contributing large sums of money to purchase state-sponsored discrimination. Did you just get your privilege tank refilled this morning?