I fail to understand what this bill will accomplish. If this bill passes, it will amend the constitution to declare marriage between an man and a woman. Then what? Do gay people suddenly disappear? Will they stop yelling about “equal rights”? Will they just “accept the laws”? No. Passing this bill will not make anyone happy. This is a waste of time.

In all the debate of “gay marriage”, I have yet to hear the argument against gay marriage that does not have religious connotations. Church and State are separate, and we should not be passing legislation in the name of any religion.

Agreed. I think the term marriage should be stripped completely from government.

I agree with you Alex. Get government out of the marriage-recognizing business entirely.

Leave the “love life” to the individuals please. Fine, block them from benefits if you want- which isn’t right either, but don’t try and dictate their lives through the beliefs of a few. Remember…Of the people,For the people? …this doesn’t mean just the people you like.

This is not the belief of just a few. It is the majority request of Americans to have it defined as marriage between one man and one woman. We are the voters asking for this law. Congress did not sit down one day and decide to change history. It is the voters who have been pressuring congress to pass a law.

Equality in marriage for homosexuals does not just benefit homosexuals, it benefits the entire society. My wife of twenty some years figured out that she was repressing her true orientation as a lesbian. If she could marry her partner, they both could check the box “married” on their 1040 form, and that would legally end my obligation to pay her spousal support (aka alimony). But NOOOOO. They can’t get married, so they cohabitate and live as if they are married, and I still pay alimony. I’ve been a nice guy and allowed a “legal separation” to linger so she can continue to be on my health insurance, but if she could get married, she’d get better health insurance from her partner, who is a veteran; but instead…I’m still technically “married” and can’t get on with my life to remarry my fiance. This situation is preventing me from having a “marriage between a man and a woman”…so I’m cohabitating with her.

Do you see how non-recognition of my 2-b-x’s relationship as a marriage is hurting the “marriage between a man and a woman?”. I mean, come on! Get off your homophobia and treat everyone equally. It is not marrying your dog, it is not marrying a third person…stop with all of those lame comparisons. Once upon a time we didn’t allow marriage between two races. Thomas Jefferson had a common law marriage with a black woman. Get with Canada and other civilized countries and recognize that allowing marriage between two loving human beings, regardless of gender, is the moral and holy right thing to do, even if government really should stay out of the whole thing like others are saying. Unfortunately, the government has that damn 1040 form with it’s “filing status” definition. Will you add a box that says “domestic partnership”? I don’t think so. So the only solution to my problem is to allow marriage between two adults, regardless of gender.

It would really go against the original intent of the constitution to purposefully bar a segment of our society from enjoying the same rights as the majority.