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Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
ace, a couple of things:
1) Is the gay rights movement not about measuring a person by the content of their character?
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Yes and no. I believe some see it as you describe and I thinksome see the gay rights issue as a sort of protest movement against what they may see as conformist values.
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If you support this idea of core values—and if Republicans do too—then this would mean supporting the idea of gay families as being legitimate families, including their right to have their marriages performed and recognized.
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Having a core value doesn't make it the "right" (however you define it) value. At one point a core value of southern plantation owners was that slavery was perfectly acceptable. In the south that value was reflective of the culture. it took outside influences, including a war, to change that core value.
If a person was anti-slavery they were out of step with that southern cultural value. The point was not for that person to be insulted if they were told that they did not hold "real" southern values, but to celebrate that and then act according to their convictions. Those are the kinds of people that change the world.
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2) As one example, what is Glenn Beck calling for with regard to returning to core American values?
Would returning to these values you hint at make it easier for social change to accept homosexuality as a legitimate orientation? To accept the gay family?
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I see the call for the return to core American values as a call to return to things like, the spirit of adventure, exploration, risk taking, individualism, fortitude, courage and some other characteristics that made this country what it is today. I do not see any of those things in conflict with the growing acceptance of gay rights.
I do acknowledge that there are some religious extremist who are activists against gay rights, but I think the numbers are small and their influence is diminishing. I also believe there are some people who, for a variety of reasons feel threatened by homosexuality. And I am consistent on this point, when a person expresses a legitimate concern about feeling threatened, we need to listen and address the issue in an adult manner. I also feel I have to repeat this but here it goes for the record - there are some people who simply hate and nothing can be done to change that - I think that number in percentage terms is small.