Speaking for myself, it's really hard to respectfully disagree with people who put you on the same level as child molesters, who are fighting to put up a monument celebrating the entry of Matthew Shepherd's soul into Hell, who can justify their children beating you with a 2x4 in the school parking lot "for looking at my son's girl that way".... No, most Christians aren't like that--but the ones who are, are very very vocal.
Also, basically, we're afraid that we're gonna get screwed if we don't fight. We always have. I mean, legislation is historically against us. We only recently got the right to have sex in all states; in at least one state, it's still technically illegal for gays to buy liquor; my own state had to have a law struck down that prevented gays from having legal protections (such as the right not to get thrown out of your apartment because the apartment owner is squicked out by your lifestyle). Those states that allow civil unions still don't give civil unions all of the same priviliges or responsibilities of marriage, and until there is a federally recognized form of gay marriage, the rights of someone in a civil union stop at state lines. So civil union in itself has become something of a loaded term, implying separate, but not equal.
It's hard to explain to someone who can get married why being married is so important. *shrug* And now I'm going to shut up, since I tend to lose it on this topic, and I think everyone's pretty tired of hearing it.
Also, basically, we're afraid that we're gonna get screwed if we don't fight. We always have. I mean, legislation is historically against us. We only recently got the right to have sex in all states; in at least one state, it's still technically illegal for gays to buy liquor; my own state had to have a law struck down that prevented gays from having legal protections (such as the right not to get thrown out of your apartment because the apartment owner is squicked out by your lifestyle). Those states that allow civil unions still don't give civil unions all of the same priviliges or responsibilities of marriage, and until there is a federally recognized form of gay marriage, the rights of someone in a civil union stop at state lines. So civil union in itself has become something of a loaded term, implying separate, but not equal.
It's hard to explain to someone who can get married why being married is so important. *shrug* And now I'm going to shut up, since I tend to lose it on this topic, and I think everyone's pretty tired of hearing it.