September 18, 2013 – 10:12 am
Many in the gay marriage movement claim that they have no desire to force their lifestyle on anyone else, they only want the freedom to love and marry whomever they wish. But sometimes this carefully-crafted claim is undermined by the real-world actions of the homosexual community itself.
An example of this was seen last week, as controversy erupted in the media about the Dallas Pride Parade. MyFoxDetroit reported that organizers had stated ahead of this year's event- which took place on Sunday- that "rules related to nudity and sexual behavior would be enforced more strictly than in past years. Police said anyone violating indecency laws in front of children could be charged with a felony."
But many in the gay community were unhappy about the stricter enforcement of the rules, not only in Dallas but across the country:
The warnings outraged some local activists, whose reactions swiftly echoed through gay-oriented social media nationwide.
"To make the parade more 'family friendly' and to accommodate comfort for the increasing number of attending heterosexuals and corporate sponsorship, participants are being asked to cover up!" activist Daniel Scott Cates wrote on his Facebook page. "The 'queer' is effectively being erased from our pride celebration."
Another activist, Hardy Haderman, wrote an aggrieved column for the Dallas Voice, a weekly serving the gay community.
"The assimilationists insist we tone down and throw away all our joyous sexiness," he wrote. "Why? To do that turns the Pride Parade into a We-Are-Ashamed parade, and I refuse to be part of that."
The rules are hardly extreme, however: the article explains that they "were drafted to conform with the city's public nudity ordinance and the state's anti-obscenity law, which bars the parade from featuring sexual paraphernalia and 'real or simulated sex acts.'"
This leaves us wondering how public displays of nudity in front of children and sexual acts on public streets doesn’t equate to forcing others to be exposed to elements of a lifestyle that is understandably objectionable to many.
Is same-sex marriage the same time-honored institution of marriage that societies everywhere have always recognized and celebrated, or does it represent a fundamental shift in principles and values, an essential and complete redefinition of marriage itself?
Well, imagine this promotion running in your grandparents’ Wall Street Journal as hopeful GI’s returned from World War II, and you tell me what you think:
NüVo Condoms to sponsor FIRST gay wedding ever at NYC PrideFest on June 30, 2013
NüVo Condoms is seeking a gay couple who is interested in getting hitched with an all expenses paid wedding at this years NYC PrideFest on June 30,2013. Are you a gay couple that has been looking to tie the knot? Wait no longer -- NüVo Condoms wants you to take the plunge! In honor of the 2nd year anniversary of the legalization of gay marriage in New York, NüVo will be sponsoring the FIRST WEDDING ever at NYC PrideFest for one lucky couple.
[…]
When speaking about the wedding at NYC Pridefest, BennyBwoy, spokesperson for NüVo Condoms stated, “We are excited about this event, we continue to create awareness for our brand, and more importantly the critical need for greater safe sex practices. This wedding is just another vehicle to get the word out about safe sex.”
The institution of marriage as “just another vehicle” to promote and advertise the use of condoms? Somehow I don’t think our ancestors would have seen it that way.
August 21, 2012 – 12:00 pm
The New York Times proves "nudging" works!
Even by the standards of Capitol Hill, where ambitious and awkward young people are thrust together in cramped workplaces and crowded bars, the nuptial output of Senator Charles E. Schumer’s office stands out.
Schumer staff members, put simply, like to marry each other. There have been 10 weddings so far, and two more scheduled this fall — an average of nearly one “Schumer Marriage” (his term) for each year he has spent in the Senate.
Cupid’s arrow lands where it will, but many of the couples say that Mr. Schumer, a New York Democrat, has an unusual knack for guiding its journey. He keeps close track of office romances, quotes marriage-friendly Scripture (“God to man: be fruitful and multiply”), and is known to cajole, nag, and outright pester his staff (at least those he perceives as receptive to such pestering) toward connubial bliss.
...The encouragement rarely stops at the altar. Mr. Schumer is described by aides as a fabulous wedding guest, quick to request a Jefferson Starship song from the D.J. and eager to dance with the bride. And his focus, like many a politician’s, never strays far from his legacy: first comes Schumer Marriage, then come Schumer Babies.
“Have kids; have a lot of kids,” Mr. Schumer, who has two daughters, is known to intone. “Start early and keep having them.”
Gigi Chao, 33, 
