Allow me to join Atrios, John Scalzi and no doubt many others in congratulating those who've queued up like American Idol wannabees in front of city hall in Cambridge in order to get married. Mazel tov, y'all!
Here are a few quotes to give you the full feel of their depraved, society-destroying, wrath-of-God-inducing sentiment:
"It was really important to us to just be married. We want to be married as soon as we possibly can.""I feel really overwhelmed. I could collapse at this point."
"This is the most important day of my life."
Of course, that doesn't apply to everybody:
About 15 protesters, most from Topeka, Kan.-based Westboro Baptist Church, stood near City Hall carrying signs with anti-gay slogans. The group, led by the Rev. Fred Phelps Sr., travels around the country protesting homosexuality.Ray McNulty, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Family Institute, one of the leading organizers of opposition to same-sex marriage, criticized some of the protesters, saying there was no need for hateful speech.
"What's going on down there is legal, and as far as I'm concerned, give those people their happiness for the day," McNulty said.
One thing to consider as to why this hasn't galvanized the Christian right is that in the United States, over 50% of marriages end in divorce. On the other hand, it appears that the same-sex couples that are going to Cambridge and Provincetown have been together in long-term relationships and are genuinely in love with each other. By comparison, Britney Spears and her quickie marriage makes me appreciate what is going on in Massachusetts all the more.
I think there are far worse things to worry about than two adults in love deciding to publicly decide to get married, whether they are straight or gay. Interestingly enough, even though Mass. governor Mitt Romney has opposed out of state gay couples from getting married, New York Attorney General Elliott Spitzer has stated that state law must recognize marriages made in another state. I wouldn't be surprised, therefore, to see New York have a battle of its' own regarding this issue.
Posted by: William Hughes on May 17, 2004 12:14 PM"I hate Fred Phelps."
Posted by: God on May 17, 2004 2:18 PMGod, do you have to be SO negative? I love Fred to pieces, in fact, he and I are planning a June wedding and a vacation in the 8th Circle of Hell!
Posted by: Satan on May 17, 2004 5:05 PMIf Fred and clan didn't exist, gay rights would have been set back 20 years. I can't think of any group of zealots who've done so much to destroy their own cause. The public disgust with their extreme behavior (picketing AIDS victims' funerals, Matthew Shepherd's funeral, and now gay weddings) has probably done as much to discredit antigay bias as a hundred gay rights activists' pleas.
Posted by: fastback on May 17, 2004 5:32 PMAnyone else notice the irony of Phelps being from Topeka, given that city's prominence in the Brown v. Board decision, the anniversary of which is being observed today? Of course, from what I've read and heard, Topeka's integration went far more smoothly than the other jurisdictions that case covered.
Posted by: Linkmeister on May 17, 2004 6:03 PMActually (and not really to defend Fred Phelps, but to be truthful), Phelps marched with Dr. King and all for integration and civil rights.
How he can be for one and not the other is beyond my ken, though.
Posted by: pacchi on May 18, 2004 10:09 AM