I REALLY don’t like some of the comments from people here that divide gay men from lesbians. It sickens me.

LESBIANS – I don’t hate women because I’m gay. GET IT.

Etheridge didn’t throw anyone under the bus either. She just wants to make it better. I can appreciate that. However, I think it was a little early to annoint him as pro-gay. I think poor Melissa was duped.

she’s screwing the rest of you lesbians over (and not in a good way) because she gets the press and you don’t.

So sad, just true

The woman does not even own a U-Haul outlet!

And silly me, I had always thought that the Ingigo Girls spoke for lesbians!

Enjoy your role model. What’s next? Ellen to endorse Mitt Romney?

You’ll get no argument from me.

“The UK happens to be eons beyond the US! So I hardly see why anybody is looking in the wrong direction (the US)….for direction. More like sympathetically casting their eyes down at the idiots who can’t seem to get it right.”

I do disagree here. The UK allows civil unions and will not consider full marriage rights for gays. While many see this as a step in the right direction, I see civil unions as a form of segregation and an insult to the gay community.

However, I do not live in the UK. I live in Southern Ireland, over which the UK has absolutely no jurisdiction, where civil unions are not recognised and there is virtually no protection for cohabiting couples. In fact, more protection is provided for cohabiting couples in the US than over here.

Further, I have a government that has taken steps to undermine the Equal Opportunities legislation it was forced to implement by the European Union, to the extent that it now actively discriminates against gay men and women working in the public sector and can do so without fear of any legal challenge. Why? Because it has just severed all funding to the body responsible for enforcing the protections offered by the Equal Opportunities legislation.

For some reason completely beyond my comprehension, the Irish Government does seem to be influenced by the US, and when it sees that your politicians are getting away with treating the gay community badly, it feels confident that it, too, can do so. I’m not saying that a change in America will change things here, but it will be an almighty step in the right direction.

So yes, things might arguably be better in the UK than in the US, though that’s an assertion some might disagree with, but as I’m not IN the UK you will excuse me if I don’t capitulate to you on this matter.

With regards to what Ana means, I don’t think it is for you or I to say. While we are disagreeing at the moment I feel confident in saying that neither of us can get our heads far enough up our arses to even come close to seeing where she’s coming from. We can, therefore, only respond to what she actually says.

She said that “…marriage is an institution constructed by the government to encourage building up the American family and more childbearing”. It wasn’t. It wasn’t constructed or created by the government. It existed in America before its independence and was an institution your founding fathers decided to embrace. And while there was a time when the nuclear family was one the US government was desperately trying to encourage, I think that’s one dream they’ve long since abandoned. It certainly wasn’t their primary reason for adopting the custom of marriage into their society.

And as for your opening question:

“Are you running for office or something?”

Yes. The Irish Parliament at the next election. I don’t stand a chance in hell of getting in, but I’m tired of petitioning politicians who are all too anxious to ignore my plight and the plight of others in the gay community.

As far as Ana is concerned, your postings are one tribute to stupidity after another. Your fantasyland wishful thinking and primitive superstitions do not have a foundation in reality. Your ignorance of history is also ridiculous and shameful.

As far as showing tolerance to those who will not tolerate me? Screw that! They spend their time and money oppressing our community. Let them make the first move towards tolerance then ask me to be tolerant. Let them recognize me as an equal, then you can admonish me for my intolerant attitude. Some of us have wised up and realize that turning the other cheek and kissing ass is not a viable or productive strategy. We have 40 plus years with almost nothing to show for it following the pacifist approach. We are still murdered, denied jobs, denied housing, denied hundreds of government benefits enjoyed by heterosexuals, denied equality and relegated to 2nd class citizenship…obviously the pacifists don’t care if we make any progress on our rights, as long as we continue to smile and say “Please Sir, may I have some more abuse”.

As far as Melissa goes, she is entitled to sleep with the enemy if she chooses. If she is ignorant enough to buy the BS that Warren is selling, then that’s her bad. I don’t believe for one second she has done so due to altruistic reasons, but rather there was some way for her to profit from being all friendly with Warren. If she did so thinking that she can help him see the light, then she is dumber than I thought.

Wow.

Are you running for office or something?

I capitulate to you re: the subject matter. I stand corrected.

I do not disagree with you re:Christian Fundamentalists. I do not share your tenacity, but I agree re:their arrogance.

‘Her statement was, basically, that the American government invented marriage as a way to encourage procreation.’

I disagree with you. I still believe Ana meant that the American government created a vehicle by which the American people could enjoy the benefits of marraige in the US, regardless of who/where it was originally conceived and what the US govt originally based their laws on. I do not believe she was saying that the American government invented marriage.

Now I hate to break it to you (aren’t you cute with your patronising satements!) but many countries around the world LEAD the world in GLBT policies….the US falls badly behind! The UK happens to be eons beyond the US! So I hardly see why anybody is looking in the wrong direction (the US)….for direction. More like sympathetically casting their eyes down at the idiots who can’t seem to get it right.

I doubt very seriously PM Brown will pay attention at all to what the bigots say. Lets not get hysterical here…