Raveman :

You want to know what you say to a gay guy who asks you out? You tell them you're not gay. That's it. That's all it would take. They're not gonna rape you because you turned them down. And they're not going to just outright propose to you. Also, keeping gay marriage illegal wouldn't stop homosexuals from being attracted to you, or asking you out. Nor would it stop them from fantasizing about you (but in all honesty, you probably shouldn't flatter yourself too much in that respect).

Another issue, legalizing gay marriage would probably lower STD rates in the gay marriage by encouraging more stable long-term relationships. Similarly, legalizing prostitution and drugs would allow for regulation. That would mean that the women involved would be given proper health care and would be guaranteed pay. There would also probably be some kind of screening of clients to help prevent STDs.

And finally, if you outright refuse to be friends with someone because of their sexuality, does that mean you'd stop being friends with your closest friends if they came out of the closet to you? Just like that, you'd stop talking to them?

soxfan849 : Don't know what that last sentence means, but I can assure you I think I know what it means. I avoid gay people. Fine, call me scared, but I'm not. It's my opinion. At the very least keep gays out of places where religion is widespread, and away from people who are anti-gay, so there is no problem that starts up. Anyway, if I did have a close friend who was gay and had a crush on me, I would avoid them. Let them think what they think; I'm not their friend anymore.

Raveman :

I don't mean if they have a crush on you. I just mean if they are homosexual. You'd just stop being friends with them, just like that? It doesn't matter what kind of a person they are, or anything that they've done for you?

I've always been taught that a true friend is someone who would stick with you no matter what you're going through. I don't know firsthand, but I can imagine that it would be tough to come out of the closet, and you'd probably receive a lot of negative reactions from friends and family. Even when I was religious and against gay marriage, I never would've just abandoned my friends.

And segregation never works. The religious who do have a problem with homosexuality will one day lose the legal battle. And once that happens, people will realize that homosexuality isn't something to be feared.

soxfan849 : I avoid gays because it is against my religion, and I don't want an argument over religion and gays and all that stuff. It's annoying and I avoid it. If the person who's gay has done something for me, I just acknowledge that; but it doesn't mean I have to be with them all my life. I won't be like, "Ew, you're gay, get away from me. I'm leaving." I try my best to be nice with people. I don't say crap to other people unless they treat me bad or say something bad about me or to me. If I found out my friend is gay I just wouldn't be around him as much.

Raveman : Why should same-sex marriage be illegal just because you personally feel gays are icky? Do you really feel that is an adequate measure of how rights should be given?

Raveman : If you say that you avoid people that do things against your religion, does that mean you avoid people of other religions? If you are a Christian for example, that means you should avoid all Jewish people because they are not for Jesus, and that is against your religion. What you are really saying is "I'm going to act on the parts of the Bible that I personally agree with" (unless you actually avoid people of other religions that have beliefs that yours are against).  If you are going persecute and avoid homosexuals just because it is against your religion, keep in mind that it is hypocritical to not avoid people of other religions or groups that do things against your religion. "You have heard it said you shall love your neighbors and hate your enemy. But I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. For if you love only those who love you, what reward is there in that?"

As for the "Not to mention sitting by a gay who finds you attractive". Well, I think that pretty much describes any woman who sits next to a man who finds her attractive and they are thinking of all the dirty things they want to do to her when she doesn't share those thoughts for him.

And gay people don't just randomly propose to strait people. They are no different than you or I in that instance. They propose to someone of which they are in a committed relationship with. They aren't going to propose to you if you aren't in a relationship, which you wouldn't be in one if you are strait, so that comment makes absolutely no sense. 

Lastly, saying that homosexuality is against 'nature' is far from the truth. It does exist in nature. For example, 8-10% of rams refuse to mate with ewes, but mate with other rams. Other animals of which homosexuality is commonly present include dolphins, gulls, mallards, penguins, vultures, bison, apes, giraffes, elephants, lions, sheep, different fly species, dragonflies, and many different lizards and amphibians. 

So far I'm hearing a lot of mixed opinions and some flat out awful statements made about homosexuals. I have a grandmother who thinks that if gay marriage is legalized that America is going to fall because there won't be any more babies born because eventually everyone will turn gay. It is precisely this mind set that is making people against gay marriage.

I'm not going to get into the whole religion thing because I've done that in another thread in the past. My views haven't changed since then, so if you wish to read how I feel about the religious persecution of homosexuality, you can find it here:

https://www.vizzed.com/boards/thread.php?id=23505&ppp=20&page=0#450853

As for gay marriage, I see no problem with it whatsoever. I have no problems with homosexuals and I think they have just as much right to marry as I do. Them getting married isn't hurting me and it's not going to hurt my children or my children's children. It will just be another change in our society much like the end of segregation. It will eventually become normal and people will wonder why they hated it so much in the first place.

I personally support it. I believe in "to each their own". However, I do not like a gay guy coming up to me and flirting or whatever with me. That is the only problem I have with it.

I don't understand why anyone would have a problem with gays. I understand that it is against Christian religion, as well as other religions, but it's not your personal choice. I know many gays, as well as lesbians, and they're not bad people. A few may ruin the bunch, but that's true about humanity as a whole. I've seen people against gays look at the Civil Rights movement, and they act shocked, like "How could they segregate them like that? They're the same as us, just besides skin color. We should all have the same rights!"  Obviously, they don't realize that they do the exact same thing, they take away the rights of gays to get married. Just a personal choice, I think that they should be able to. They can live in peace, do whatever they want, be with whoever they want. I understand that the Bible is against it, and so is God, but this is a free religious country, everyone is able to have their own beliefs.

rcarter2 : Jesus was Jewish. Didn't I say I respect everyone else's ideas and ways of living as long as they don't treat me like crap or don't say crap to me? Yeah, I did. And I don't target other religions. Having a different religion is not against my particular religion. Also, straight people DO get in relationships, how do you not know that? I don't think you guys are reading my posts properly. You're hunting and pecking for things that stand out. I said that gays should be away from religious places. Yes, I did. You have no idea what religion I am, or if I take sides at all in religion. Whether I believe in the Divine and that I choose to worship it my way or that I assimilate into a religion. Don't say things that don't make sense to the whole post of mine. It's more than just one person who is anti-gay, so really, it's not only me. And, also, gay people are much different than straight people. They do not have 'feelings' for the opposite gender. They are 'homo' and not 'hetero.' That is a big difference. Right now, rcarter, you accuse me of being a hypocrite. Because I don't think the same as you. That's like saying gays are hypocrites because they think differently from straight people. I thought you were supporting gays? And no, I am not a reader of the Bible. I can be Jewish, I can be Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, or whatever; agnostic, atheist, pretending I have a religion, so don't you accuse me of being something I am not, be it I am that yes or no, whether you know it or not. I am an anti-gay, that's it.
Dragon51777:
Jumping off of a bridge doesn't always mean you will die. You might not drown, you could be bungie jumping, you could be jumping off of a two-foot bridge and whatnot. Also, how can you say religion is wrong and science is right? Majority of science is theory. How did EXISTENCE start? How did Infinite start? There is a God, one TRUE God, whether you believe it or not. It is YOU who is wrong. You didn't even bother reading any of those books from any religion. Only the Bible. Then you assume they all believe with the same thing. Sure, they have same base roots, but it isn't all word-for-word same. You say that they are wrong, when you have no evidence whatsoever, when you don't understand their faith and when you don't even bother to understand it. 

Lay off, everyone, I'm done with this pointless argument.

Raveman : maybe i think religion is disgusting, maybe i think religious people should be kept seperate. After all, how many gays have started wars? Crusades?genocide?discrimination?slavery.
Yeh, youre so much better..
You're entire statement is flawed, but my favourite mess up is you saying its un-natural.
You get gay animals.
Guess what else.
Certain animals can change there gender.
But its un-natural obviously, it dosent happen in nature.
Given we apparently were made lords of life on earth and arent animals, why exactly do you think if we arent like them its wrong.
Taking a bath is unnatural.
Shaving is unnatural.
Planes are unnatural.
Boats are unnatural.
Cars are unnatural.
Mariage is unnatural.
Clothes are unnatural.
Lets ban it all.

Raveman : I did't say I knew what religion you were. I specifically said 'for example' as to not make an assumption about what religion you are. I also did not say you were a hypocrite. I said if you specifically avoid gay people because it is against your religion, then it would be hypocritical to not avoid people of religions that act in ways that are against your religion (which is where I used the Jewish/Christianity example). You said that you don't avoid people of other religions because having a different religion is not against your particular religion. But that is not true because there are many religions that do things that other religions say are wrong. It is pretty much impossible to find a religion that doesn't say something a different religion does is not right. Therefore, they are practicing something that your religion says is wrong, so you should avoid them. If not, THEN it is hypocritical. I don't care that you think differently from me. That isn't hypocritical. But saying you specifically avoid gay people because the practice is said to be wrong in your religion, yet you don't avoid strait people who have religions that have practices that your religion says is wrong is in fact hypocritical. 
Also, I know strait people have relationships (I am strait). You were talking about gay people proposing to you, and that just makes no sense because they are like strait people in which they propose like that to someone whom which they are in a relationship.
 Also, what about gay people who are religious? Are they supposed to stay away from religious places? How is that fair? I know many homosexuals who attend church regularly. Because they are gay, they can't worship in religious places? It isn't their fault that they way they feel makes someone who doesn't understand uncomfortable. That is their problem. 

I'll just weigh in without having sifted through the entire thread.

There is no legitimate reason to ban same sex marriage that is not somehow based on religious beliefs. Not a single one. Marriage, at least in most countries, is a secular matter. Even if you have a religious wedding ceremony, you still have to go to the government and get your marriage license there. So long as there is seperation of church and state, legal marriage will not have anything to do with religion. So long as religion has nothing to do with legal marriage, there will be no legitimate reason to ban same sex marriage.

I really don't see how gay marriage is all that different from straight marriage, beyond both partners having the same junk.

Love is love regardless of gender.

It shouldn't be a religious issue at all. Many people got married outside of the Church and they aren't harassed, so why should gay people be?

I just don't get why the Church has any say in anything to do with gay marriage, or anyone else outside of the couple getting married  for that matter.  

I have no problems with gay marriage being legalized and other gay issues, being that I'm gay, and they kinda relate to me.

a-sassy-black-lady : In my opinion, there really shouldn't even be a debate about gay/lesbian marriage.  The same people who sat and protest for equal rights and all else are the ones who will slander gay men and women and try to take their rights away.  Because they think it's 'gross' or 'wrong.'  Why, though?  In the Declaration of Independence, we are said to have three unalienable rights; life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  If two people are in love, and would be HAPPY to get married, they should be at their own LIBERTY to get married, regardless of whether or not they are homo- or hetero- sexual.  It is such a shame that people can be so closed minded about things like this.  They have to keep in mind that every group was once an minority that was thought of as odd and possibly disgusting.  In the early years of the Common Era, the Christians were slandered on by the Romans and Jews.  The Jews have been slandered upon since their beginning!  Muslims are slandered on by many Americans today just because of extremists in their belief.  So what do I think about gay marriage?  Let them be happy and do as they please: they ARE people, in case other people forgot.