# A new slant on gay marriage? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 4, 2013, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820 "2013-04-04T13:11:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/1 "2013-04-04T13:11:09Z")
A friend of mine hit me with this, which he heard from folks at his job. I didn’t think much of it until I started getting hit with it from folks at my job. So I thought I would pitch it out here and see if any of you guys are hearing it as well. The basic gist is that all of the current furor and hubbub about gay marriage and denial of rights, etc. is nothing more than a smokescreen. The underlying goal is to get the choice of a homosexual lifestyle to be accepted as normal in our society. Sounds kinda conspiracy theory, tinfoil hat brigade to me. But I’m hearing it from more and more people these days, folks that I don’t think of as wearing tinfoil hats. What say ye, fellow Dopers? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/2 "2013-04-04T13:12:08Z")
I’d say you work with a bunch of morons, JAQ. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/3 "2013-04-04T13:34:38Z")
Well, that’s a nice update from the last time I heard something along these lines, which was that “the real gay agenda is to normalize pedophilia in our society.” But yeah, your co-workers are full of crap. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/4 "2013-04-04T13:36:40Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > A friend of mine hit me with this, which he heard from folks at his job. I didn’t think much of it until I started getting hit with it from folks at my job. So I thought I would pitch it out here and see if any of you guys are hearing it as well. > > The basic gist is that all of the current furor and hubbub about gay marriage and denial of rights, etc. is nothing more than a smokescreen. The underlying goal is to get the choice of a homosexual lifestyle to be accepted as normal in our society. > > Sounds kinda conspiracy theory, tinfoil hat brigade to me. But I’m hearing it from more and more people these days, folks that I don’t think of as wearing tinfoil hats. > > What say ye, fellow Dopers? I agree, in a sense, but completely disagree with the idea that it’s a smokescreen, and disagree with the ‘choice’ phrasing. 1. Being gay is not a choice. 2. Gay people have a legitimate and genuine desire to have both the legal effects of marriage and the social acceptance that comes from the word ‘marriage.’ So yes, the underlying goal is to have homosexuality accepted in our society – not the _choice_ but the fact – AND the goal is to have legally recognized marriages. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/5 "2013-04-04T13:45:03Z")
Of course that’s a goal, a homosexual lifestyle is normal. That bigots think that gays pushing for equal rights is some kind of trick to get them to quit being bigots is freaking moronic, but I guess you shouldn’t expect much from them anyways. If anything it is completely the other way around, growing acceptance for gays is leading to a stronger push for equal rights. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/6 "2013-04-04T13:52:59Z")
He has it backward. The gay marriage debate wouldn’t be happening if more and more people were not accepting that gays and lesbians are normal and that there’s no good reason to deny them the benefits that go with legally-recognized marriage. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/7 "2013-04-04T14:02:35Z")
I got dogpiled by my fellow bar patrons several years ago. The topic of conversation was thus (More or less, it was a lengthy debate. I was the only one arguing for gay marriage against about four guys who were against. The following is pretty much how it ended before the subject was changed): Bar patrons: Well, I don’t want the gays to get married because that sends a message to our children that- that shit’s ok. Me: Uh, it _is_ ok you douches. Bar patrons: [Gasp! Monocles pop out in unison] ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/8 "2013-04-04T14:03:00Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > He has it backward. The gay marriage debate wouldn’t be happening if more and more people were not accepting that gays and lesbians are normal and that there’s no good reason to deny them the benefits that go with legally-recognized marriage. That’s what I was going to say- gay marriage is a trailing indicator, not a leading indicator of the acceptance of homosexuality. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/9 "2013-04-04T14:11:21Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > 1. Being gay is not a choice. If it were a choice, would it not be worthy of support? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/10 "2013-04-04T14:13:17Z")
Um, yeah, where’s the controversy? Who the hell DOESN’T think homosexuals should be a normal part of society?That’s like saying ‘the choice of a red headed/left handed lifestyle could become accepted as a normal part of society.’ So these people are proudly boasting that they feel homosexuals should be kept outside of normal society? Isn’t that special and bless their hearts! They probably also proclaim adherence to a religion that commands they not judge others, and love each other! Your response should be, “We’ll aren’t you a hateful little Christian!” People who say such nonsense aren’t worth trying to talk sense to, actually. Where do you live that you are hearing this from all sides? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/11 "2013-04-04T14:17:16Z")
It’s not a “lifestyle”. But yeah, gays want to be treated just like everyone else, and part of that is being able to marry. No conspiracy necessary. Although, there has been a run on toaster ovens lately, so maybe… ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/12 "2013-04-04T14:22:51Z")
This OP literally is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve read. Everyone knows that the REAL end-game of the gay agenda is the downfall of western civilization. Duh. Now of course part of this is tricking you all into accepting the homosexual life style as normal, and hence the debate over same-sex marriage, but that’s not the underlying goal, as you so eloquently put it. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/13 "2013-04-04T14:26:46Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > They probably also proclaim adherence to a religion that commands they not judge others, and love each other! Your response should be, “We’ll aren’t you a hateful little Christian!” Please don’t paint every Christian with the same crayon. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/14 "2013-04-04T14:27:33Z")
I read the argument presented in the OP as, “It’s not that homosexuals really want to get married, they’re just using that to get us to accept them as normal.” That’s why I called bullshit right off the bat. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/15 "2013-04-04T14:30:30Z")
> [@PurpleClogs](#): > > Please don’t paint every Christian with the same crayon. If that post meant to do that, it probably would not have used the modifier “hateful”, because it would be redundant. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/16 "2013-04-04T14:33:52Z")
Find some smarter friends. This is possible, even in Houston; look at our mayor… There’s been a long term movement toward realizing that homosexuality is just a difference in wiring. Why should a couple in a committed relationship be denied the legal & social benefits that any drunken het couple can obtain at a Vegas wedding chapel? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/17 "2013-04-04T14:36:00Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > If it were a choice, would it not be worthy of support? An entirely different question. But yes, a free society should regard such a choice as one that its members may freely make. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/18 "2013-04-04T14:48:53Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > The underlying goal is to get the choice of a homosexual lifestyle to be accepted as normal in our society. This statement, by itself, basically says: You, **Dr. Drake** , have chosen a deviant lifestyle, and you want to bully the rest of us normals into pretending your perversion is okay. I can understand why people raised in a homophobic culture (i.e. Western civilization) would feel this way, but it’s deeply upsetting. My lifestyle is _not_ deviant, and it was _not_ a choice. I don’t want to force you to accept it, but I do want to force you to really, truly think about it outside of the lens of your own prejudices. I think that if you can do that, you’ll come to the right conclusion on your own. If you don’t, well, you’ll be in a small unhappy minority, which is nothing but poetic justice. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/19 "2013-04-04T14:50:09Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > An entirely different question. > > But yes, a free society should regard such a choice as one that its members may freely make. Yes, I realize it’s a different question. That’s why I asked it. I find asking the same question gets to be repetitive. Using “it’s not a choice” as an argument for marriage equality implies that it’s the best they can do the poor dears as well as that bisexuals should work towards a heteronormative relationship simply because that potential exists for them. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820/20 "2013-04-04T15:00:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Please don’t paint every Christian with the same crayon Oh, I wasn’t meaning that. I just think those being hateful deserve to be told so, as required. I think they deserve to know how their view is perceived. Don’t remain silent. No need to debate, just straight up told, “that’s hateful!”, and leave it at that! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-slant-on-gay-marriage/654820.md?page=2)