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DeMint Demented?
A couple of days ago I listened to an interview of Jim Demint, the Junior Senator from South Carolina. He proffered the interesting notion that gay people should not be allowed to marry because they present a public health hazard.
Now I’ve always heard that straight people should saves themselves for marriage to avoid the health hazards of pre-marital sex, but DeMint is saying gays should not be allowed marry for the same reason? This is contradiction could be explained if Demint was really pandering to the religious right, but couldn’t come out and say it because the Constitution says he can’t outlaw gay marriage for religious reasons.
It logically follows therefore, that Senator Jim Demint is either incredibly stupid or incredibly dishonest. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. He professes to be a devout Christian and false witness is strictly forbidden, so I’ll accept that he’s just a stupid homophobe.
He does raise a good point, albeit unintentionally I’m sure. We can prevent the spread of venereal diseases by encouraging stable monogamous relationships, regardless of the sex of the partners, and it is in the public interest to do so.
It doesn’t mean churches have to sanctify them and the churches shouldn't be worried that they might have to. The Constitution says they can’t be forced to. But there is no reason why legal unions can’t be sanctioned by the government that confer the benefits of and thereby encourage stable relationships that protect the public health.
Of course, that’s not the only reason. It would make many gay people immensely happy to be allowed to marry their partners. Are we so mean spirited that we can’t let people who are different from us be happy?
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