# Why are conservatives obsessed with same sex marriage?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156
**Category:** Politics & Elections
**Created:** [July 23, 2020, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156 "2020-07-23T19:57:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 10
### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/181 "2020-07-27T21:18:43Z")
> [@I-AM-WABI-SABI](#):
>
> No one, it was started to control interracial marriages…
This isn’t even remotely true. It was done as part of the general push towards secularizing the state, and occurred even in nations that had no particular social taboo against interracial relationships.
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### Author:  [@kswiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kswiss)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/182 "2020-07-27T21:18:58Z")
Democrats were nicer Homophobes.
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/183 "2020-07-27T21:27:43Z")
> [@kswiss](#):
>
> Seems somewhat similar to the argument that some Slave owners treated their slaves reasonably well (for slaves) while others treated their them much worse and thought of them as sub-human. So I guess the “nice” slave owners were morally superior.
I don’t think anyone would argue against the principle that a “nice” slave master is better than a cruel or vicious slave master. You might get some push back on how big a proportion of slave owners could be classified as “nice,” and even more if you were suggesting that the “nice” slave owners were therefore good people, but I don’t think anyone has a problem with saying “this evil thing is less evil than that evil thing.”
But I wouldn’t compare the relationship between the democratic party and the gay community in the '80s and '90s as a slave-relationship. More of a protection racket. “Yeah, this is a nice pride festival youse got here. Be a real shame if some Republican came along and banned it. I can stop that from happening… if you pay up.” Clinton was pretty much the epitome of this brand of Democrat.
Cynicism aside, though, it turned out pretty good for us in the long run, and we’ve now got a party that can be credibly called “pro-gay,” and not just, “less homophobic.”
Bill Clinton can still go fuck himself, though.
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### Author:  [@I-AM-WABI-SABI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I-AM-WABI-SABI)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/184 "2020-07-27T21:30:13Z")
In America it definitely is true.
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### Author:  [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/185 "2020-07-27T21:36:40Z")
> [@I-AM-WABI-SABI](#):
>
> mean why do we need government mixed up in this?
[https://www.google.com/search?q=percentage+of+US+hatis+religious&rlz=1C9BKJA\_enUS843US858&oq=percentage+of+US+hatis+religious&aqs=chrome..69i57.13684j1j7&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8](https://www.google.com/search?q=percentage+of+US+hatis+religious&rlz=1C9BKJA_enUS843US858&oq=percentage+of+US+hatis+religious&aqs=chrome..69i57.13684j1j7&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8)
45% of US adults identify as not religious. Where are they supposed to go to get a marriage license or to be married? Highly, highly doubt any church is going to get involved in establishing and enforcing custody, child or spousal support, much less property rights.
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/186 "2020-07-27T21:41:04Z")
> [@I-AM-WABI-SABI](#):
>
> In America it definitely is true.
Is an actual cite in the offing? And “My post is my cite.” was used and failed years ago.
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/187 "2020-07-27T21:42:29Z")
> [@I-AM-WABI-SABI](#):
>
> In America it definitely is true.
Except secular marriage already existed in the law when the colonies were founded. Bans against interracial marriage were amendments to existing laws, not the creation of a whole new legal structure for managing marriage contracts. And not every state enacted those bans, although a majority did.
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/188 "2020-07-27T21:43:25Z")
Even hardcore libertarians will usually concede that the government should have a role in supervising and enforcing contracts. What is a marriage if not a contract?
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### Author:  [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/189 "2020-07-27T21:49:00Z")
Stop inviting them to C P A C.
Disavow the Values Voters and the Evangelical people.
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### Author:  [@I-AM-WABI-SABI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I-AM-WABI-SABI)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/190 "2020-07-27T22:10:28Z")
I explained above.
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### Author:  [@kswiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kswiss)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/191 "2020-07-27T22:10:35Z")
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> Even hardcore libertarians will usually concede that the government should have a role in supervising and enforcing contracts. What is a marriage if not a contract?
I don’t identify as a Libertarian but as a moderate Republican, I have some Libertarian views.
In some sense, The gov’t shouldn’t have any say who you have sex with or procreate with. The idea that marriage is a religious, not gov’t, custom is not entirely lost on me. But many people no longer belong to an organized religious group.
But as basic part of society, such as land ownership, a justice system, building roads, etc. the govt got into the marriage business. Laws were made about who had to provide for children, who inherited what, etc.
But I don’t see any reason a marriage contract couldn’t exist between two homosexuals.
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### Author:  [@I-AM-WABI-SABI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I-AM-WABI-SABI)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/192 "2020-07-27T22:11:04Z")
And I agree
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### Author:  [@I-AM-WABI-SABI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I-AM-WABI-SABI)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/193 "2020-07-27T22:16:17Z")
Throughout the 1800s up until the 1960s they were controlling interracial marriages.
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### Author:  [@kswiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kswiss)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/194 "2020-07-27T22:18:34Z")
And the distinction between Civil and Religious Law is a relatively new concept, and not even practiced throughout the world today
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/195 "2020-07-27T22:36:57Z")
Yes, secular marriage laws were used to excluded interracial marriage throughout much of the country. This is not the _reason_ we have secular marriage.
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### Author:  [@I-AM-WABI-SABI](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I-AM-WABI-SABI)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/196 "2020-07-27T22:42:29Z")
It sure is a part of it yes!
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### Author:  [@kswiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kswiss)
#### Post date: [July 27, 2020, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/197 "2020-07-27T22:50:05Z")
Even in Secular societies, there is an Overlap between religious and secular law. A primarily Christian society, even if it is Secular (IE the US). the religious laws will at the very least influence Secular law. Muslim/Buddhist/Hindu etc societies, even if they are secular, have the same influence.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2020, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/198 "2020-07-28T00:46:01Z")
> [@I-AM-WABI-SABI](#):
>
> It sure is a part of it yes!
That’s like saying that since there were segregated bathrooms, plumbing was created to ensure racial purity. Your assertion is nonsense.
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### Author:  [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2020, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/199 "2020-07-28T01:44:29Z")
Cite, please.
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### Author:  [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)
#### Post date: [July 28, 2020, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-conservatives-obsessed-with-same-sex-marriage/916156/200 "2020-07-28T04:52:39Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#):
>
> Stop inviting them to C P A C.
>
> Disavow the Values Voters and the Evangelical people.
You’re kidding, right? The reactionaries have controlled the guest list of CPAC for generations.
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