gay marriage, interracial marriage

For some time I've wondered if I was the only one who saw virtually no difference between the arguments against gay marriage today, and those against interracial marriage a couple generations ago:

• "God/the bible prohibits it."
• "It's unnatural."
• "It's filthy."
• "If we allow this, then we'll eventually see people marrying animals."
• "It will lead to the degeneration of society."
• "It defies the definition of what a 'true' marriage is supposed to be."

Those arguments were total bullshit then, and they're total bullshit now. They are nothing more than excuses and rationalizations for the bigotry, gross ignorance and hatred of those making the arguments. Fortunately, most people no longer have a problem with interracial relationships, and a lot of those who do would feel embarrassed and ashamed if they expressed their opinions in public.

I'm not gay, but I am in an interracial marriage. I fully support gay marriage, though not (just) because of the parallels between gay & interracial marriage. I would support both gay and interracial marriages even if I weren't in the latter form of marriage myself. It's simply a matter of equal--yes, equal, not "special"--rights. This article does a fairly decent job of pointing that out.

One does not have to be a woman, after all, to support womens' suffrage, or a racial minority to support civil rights & racial equality. Freedom is simply not whole, until it encompasses the whole of society.

Now, about the military's ban on gay soldiers....