Pat Oliphant for March 28, 2013

Looks like, for these 2, it may require a coin flip. But looking closer, No, can’t be sure.I think either one would be fine. At least she didn’t freak out. I think they have just as much rights to marriage as anyone else.

I guess the one with the bouquet is the wife!

As long as the money is good………………….

If you get married in a church, you have to sign papers and file them with your county in order for the state to recognize your marriage. That’s because there are TWO parts to marriage, the sacrament and the contract. The State has no business messing with the sacrament, and any church can forbid same-sex marriage to its congregants. But by the same token, the churches have no business messing with the administration of the contract, which is what the State recognizes and regulates. There’s no point in the government denying same-sex couples the same right of contract as anyone else, because in America we have religious freedom, though I realize a lot of folks on the right object to anyone thinking differently from them.

We will all stand before Our God one day and Our God will let us know how we did in our lives. Hate the actions, but love the person. Judge not, lest ye be judged. Did we live by his rules or those of the World? I don’t know how God feels about the GLBT community other than to say he loves us.

Part I Growing up in the fifties and sixties, I became aware that there were men and women who were sexually attracted to those of the same sex. I never actually knew anybody who was openly homosexual, it was still very much “in the closet” in those days. I was confronted directly with the issue when my life took me to New Hope, Pa where I lived for a year. It was and is a very gay friendly town and the straight people there were tolerant and never was heard a discouraging word, at least not by me. Like the other straight people I knew there, I was tolerant, but I didn’t understand gayness. One afternoon I had an epiphany, an awakening. I was sitting on my front porch when two men walked by holding hands. Suddenly I had a flash of insight and it was that a gay man, when encountering another man that he finds attractive, gets the same feeling that I get when I see an attractive woman. This was a stunning moment of realization for me. Well, I suppose it’s just a difference in their brains I was forced to conclude, but although this explanation satisfied me, I just for the life of me couldn’t imagine having that kind of feeling for another man. Thirty five years later I still can’t.

Part II So now I had an understanding at the most visceral level about gayness. Nothing in the world could possible make me feel that type of feeling for another man and conversely, I reasoned, nothing could entice a gay man to feel the way I felt when I saw an attractive female. From that moment on I became a supporter of gay rights and an opponent of any idea that there was a “cure” for homosexuality. It is not a disease, it’s just another way that humans differ, another variety and one that brings more diversity and richness to our world. After hearing the ideas of different people on the subject, I now had my own viewpoint based on my own experience; homosexuality is not a perversion, it’s a variation. I’m now addressing myself to anyone reading this who is homophobic and who hasn’t had their own realization about gay people, who sees them as either threatening, or sinful, or just disgusting and hateful: Think back real hard to the moment when you chose your sexuality. Remember, (this is for men) that day when you suddenly looked around and saw men and women and said to yourself; “who should I find sexually attractive? Hmmm. Should I go for men, or should I go for women? Well, let me see, if I choose men I’m going to face a lot of persecution, hate, discrimination, yeah, who needs that, I’ll choose to be attracted to women.” You don’t remember that moment you say? Well of course not because it doesn’t happen like that, does it? If you were like the majority of men, you were attracted to women and that was that, right? No reason for it, it just happened that way.

Part III So for you to hate, discriminate against, and ridicule or harm those who like you had no choice in their sexual preference is irrational and inhuman, so get off it! To deny gay people their full human rights or to fear that they will try to “recruit” children to their “lifestyle,” is inane and evil. Nobody could have ever recruited me or any other straight man to feel attracted to men in a sexual way. Enjoy your sexuality and allow others to enjoy theirs and let’s all live together and enjoy the amazing diversity that life has provided. Gay people have made great contributions to our world and will continue to do so and you are not forced to watch, contemplate, or join in their sexual lives, so grow up and turn your energies to positive pursuits, not to denying others their human and civil rights.

The one with the earring.And isn’t it sad that in the second decade of the 21st century in the United States of America we are still going to the Supreme Court to make sure people are treated equally? All of this is such a no-brainer. Too bad there are so many short sighted men and women out there.

Mr. Oliphant doubtless knows this. May I suggest you check the dictionary definition of “irony?”

“Mr. Oliphant doubtless knows this. May I suggest you check the dictionary definition of “irony?””Oliphant is lampooning a bunch of things that seem to be lost on his audience here. At least someone got the Village People reference.Oliphant missed out on the sign… should’ve been “Hotel California”.

““Multiple Wives and Husbands”…like in the Old Testament of the “Holy” Bible you like to (selectively) thump?”Solomon had 700 wives, yet people insist on referring to him as, “wise”.

By demeaning your fellow human beings you are only reflecting poorly on your own sad state of ignorance and lack of humanity, not in any way on theirs. I hope you’ll read my response to antiquetracman and reflect on the fact that we don’t choose our sexual orientation any more than we do our skin, eye, or hair color, what country we were born in, or how tall we grow to be. I certainly hope you would agree that we could use a lot less hate in this world and see things in a different and better light.

" (it’s) its disgust with a perverted ‘lifestyle’ that is being forced upon those who view it as morally wrong" – So who is forcing YOU to do anything? Who is the keeper of the morals? Christians? Jews? The Supreme Court? Maybe we need a few more immoral ideals like freedom and equality for everyone.

antiquetracman said, about 8 hours ago

“Night-gaunt49, it isn’t hate, its disgust with a perverted ‘lifestyle’ that is being forced upon those who view it as morally wrong. It is hate the sin but love the sinner.” don’t see much love from you saints.“This leads to other immoral ideals wanting to become accepted. Next will be those wanting multiple wives or husbands.”king Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines and was considered the wisest man in the old testament – your argument FAILSNo one is forcing anything upon you. don’t like gays, don’t interact with them. but i’ll give you a clue, unless you haven’t gotten one from the DOMA mess you people made. Forcing silence and your QUESTIONABLE morality on minorities yields a negative result for you. maybe you should read some of the nice stuff – you may have heard of it, but i’m not sure. love your neighbor, judge not, live and let live.

“A line must be drawn, but lets have it in the right place….and that is still undecided.”I draw that line at two consenting adults of legal age who willingly (and soberly, tyvm) enter into a legal contract.

“perverted ‘lifestyle’ that is being forced upon those who view it as morally wrong.”

I don’t think any lifestyle is being “forced” on anyone. Nobody said you had to be gay or had to get married for that matter. Just mind your own business and let others mind theirs. There already is marrying of children — found in some religious sects, there already is “multiple wives or husbands” tho most folks do it one at a time (aka “serial monogamy”).

…Because the only ones who count as “people” are the ones with the most money, obviously.

Yes you’re right but keep in mind that this ignorance gets passed along down the generations to little helpless children who must accept it to please their parents; a chain of ignorance. That is what the segment of humanity that has managed to retain a true morality (as opposed to merely a demonization of sexuality) and a degree of enlightenment must work to achieve; to bring those poor victims from the dark ages. As I see it, it’s nobody’s fault and everybody’s responsibility to become fully human. How do you see it? I don’t hate raycity and a..man, I see their toxiciity but just see them as regressed children who we all need to keep reminding of what it means to be truly human.

“The thing about personal freedom is that you don’t have to approve of it for others to be free to live it. Don’t do it if you don’t want to. Just don’t force others not to.”

Well said.

“Solomon had 700 wives, yet people insist on referring to him as, ‘wise’.”

“He didn’t have to listen to any of them… so wise indeed :-)”

It doesn’t matter whether you listen or not, so long as you respond “Yes, dear.” Of course, nobody EVER says “As HAPPY as Solomon”…

This strip would have been more appropriate in 2008. While it was Californians who passed Prop. 8, it is also Californians who have challenged it (successfully, at every level so far)…

My god, man, that’s just dire. Only one hour for sex….?

Also, I’m sure there ought to be more hours for housework in there.

Calling another person’s love “perversion” isn’t hate? Go soak your head and read a dictionary while you’re at it. Oh, and by the way, who cares if someone wants multiple wives or husbands? Why should anyone care except the other spouses, who would presumably agree to it or they wouldn’t stick around. I don’t see how any of this could possible change anything for YOUR life, except that it seems to be based on biliousness…you’d have more to complain about! And who are you to be talking abut “sin”… Jesus said “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”… you’re casting a whole mountain of them and I very much doubt that you’re perfect enough to allow yourself that if you have ANY comprehension of Jesus’ teachings.