Try not to look too far ahead, but keep your eyes on the future.

Tarheelgrad and I have been running this dialogue. Instead of rehashing the debate I'll just reprint it here as it's a good debate:

TARHEELGRAD:
Okay, I can give my short and sweet take on gay marriage.

I'm all for it.

Why? Any protestations about morality or religion are irrelevant, since we have separation of church and state in this country. Further, I see in no way how gay marriage will harm the "sanctity" of marriage, especially when divorce and adultery are so rampant in our society. If anything, it will be a stabilizing force for a segment of our society that is not going to go away.

While a majority oppose gay "marriage," this debate has actually increased support of civil unions, in what looks to be an attempt at some sort of compromise. I also think more people under 30 support gay marriage, so as the conservative old folks die off (to be blunt), this issue will gain momentum. I think we'll have civil unions in this country within 10 years, gay marriage within 20.

History will look kindly on this as an attempt for basic rights, just as the Women's movement, civil rights, etc.

Okay, not so short and sweet after all.

Tootboy:
Question:
I want to marry my mother and sister and impregnate them. Should I be allowed?

TARHEELGRAD:
Now you are just being ridiculous.

Homosexuality has existed for thousands of years. As long as no harm is being done and everyone is consenting, it should be supported. You simply cannot compare homosexuality to incest or inbreeding. To do so is incredibly ignorant and homophobic.

Impregnating your sister or mother would not only do psychological harm, but it would also physically do harm in terms of birth defects, etc. The same degree of harm is not present with homosexuality.

TOOTBOY:
I am trying to make a point. Right now only heterosexual marriage between two partners has been considered sanctioned by the people. If the government allows homosexuals to marry, there will be nothing to stop polygamists and incestuous couplings. By opening the door for homosexuals to marry it will be impossible to stop brothers and sisters, fathers and daughters, etc. from marrying. Whether or not there are babies involved it won't matter. And no one ever said it was illegal to have a baby even though you know it will probably be deformed in some way.
Incest, inbreeding and polygamy has been around as long as man has been around. In Saudi Arabia, inbreeding and polygamy is quite common.

I am not making a statement against homosexuality but against any marriage that is not between 2 opposite sex partners.

You cannot stop incestuous marriages or polygamy once you open up marriage to gays. Incestuous relationships are prevelant around the world and there will be a lot more of them if they are legalize. Mothers and sons will get married just to evade estate taxes. Once you open the pandora's box it can not be closed.

TARHEELGRAD:
You can prevent legal recognition of those marriages. Who's to say that allowing gay marriage will lead to a supreme court approval of clearly deviant types of marriage? Your slippery slope argument just doesn't hold.

Incestuous relationships may happen, but it again comes down to harm and consent.

Trust me, legalization of gay marriage will not result in the sky falling.

TOOTBOY:
Who's to say that allowing gay marriage will lead to a supreme court approval of clearly deviant types of marriage?"

Hold on. Most Americans believe gay marriages are deviants. But even if that weren't the case you can not stop one if you don't prevent the other. Once the Supreme Court overruled the deviant sexual behaviors in Texas last year it opened up the flood gates for all people who were in love to get married. Just because you think incestuous love is wrong doesn't mean that those 2 consenting adults can't get married, right?
There are cases right now before the courts of brothers and half sisters who want to marry and adopt children. Who gave you the right to decide that Bob and Frank can get married but not if they are brothers?

Legalization of gay marriage will result in the sky falling. Check it out.

TARHEELGRAD:
News Flash:

Heterosexual couples have anal sex too.


I guess the government should try to ban that, since it will lead to legalization of gay marriage, which will lead to legalization of incestuous relationships, which will lead to legalization of bestiality, which will lead to a race of chimpanzees taking over the world in a violent nuclear holocaust.

TOOTBOY:
Now you are being cynical. I'm being serious. I am not saying yay or nay to gay marriage just telling you what the subsequent consequences will be. The cases that were decided last year (I'll find them if you need them) by the courts threw out the notion of deviant sexual behavior in private. Senator Rick Santorum got in some media hot water because he noted that this ruling will lead to gay marriage. He was right. The same thinking will lead to legalization of polygamy and incestuous marriages. Ask a lawyer. How would you stop them from marrying. You can't say that two men love each other and should be allowed to marry and then say 3 men can't love each other and be allowed to marry. Where would you draw the line? How would you draw the line?

TARHEELGRAD:
I like to think our courts and justice system could handle this. Our current marriages are based on monogamy with one partner. That would rule out your scenario.

I still think it boils down to harm/consent.

You can't stop three men from "marrying," but you can deny them the rights that go along with marriage.

Tootboy:
Why are you denying people who love each other from getting married? Our current marriages are based on monogamy and heterosexuality. You are infavor of getting rid of the heterosexual part but not the monogamy?
Who made you G-d?

I'm asking not to be a jerk but because this are the same question asked by people who want gay marriages to be legal. If it is ok to allow people who love each other to marry then why are you not allowing people who love each to get married?