I don't actually know that many gay people, and the ones I know well don't live in the US. So the legalization of gay marriage by the Supreme Court doesn't really affect me directly. Still, I'm very pleased to see it. The main reason I support gay marriage is simple human decency; gay people, no less than every one else, want long term sexual relationships. Denying them serves no useful purpose and allowing them costs the rest of us nothing. To the extent that there is an effect on society more broadly, I'd expect it to be positive: a stabilizing force.
But beyond that there's another good reason, which is best seen from all the hysterical carrying on from some sections of the religious right. A society where one religion can impose its will on everyone else for no better reason than "God says so", is a dangerous society to live in. It's a long time since western countries had the death penalty for atheism, but there are countries today that still do. Legalizing something that is anathema to a major religion is a stake in the ground that says "we have freedom here".
I would much rather help the gays fight for their freedoms, than fight for mine on my own. So I'm delighted when they win, for their sake and for mine.
But beyond that there's another good reason, which is best seen from all the hysterical carrying on from some sections of the religious right. A society where one religion can impose its will on everyone else for no better reason than "God says so", is a dangerous society to live in. It's a long time since western countries had the death penalty for atheism, but there are countries today that still do. Legalizing something that is anathema to a major religion is a stake in the ground that says "we have freedom here".
I would much rather help the gays fight for their freedoms, than fight for mine on my own. So I'm delighted when they win, for their sake and for mine.
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