[creekster]

Originally Posted by Archaea

It is odd, if one is to accept some of the political rhetoric and look at some of the gay activists, who can be very in your face, that they would seek an act of public approbation.

On one hand, for those older than I, i.e., Seattle, you will remember the sixties counter-cultural movement, which made "free love" popular within its segment. They were proud to confront the mores of then current society and co-habitating showed they were non-conformist.

And despite Seattle's lame argument that gay marriages are some how "traditional" and a societal norm, nobody other than Seattle can argue that they are societal norms. Travel to Haight and Ashbury, and you'll see non-conformity to be the norm.

So what's the big deal for a counter-cultural to seek the normative, legitimizing influence of something so orthodox such as marriage?

Dare I say it again, it's not for the stated reasons, but for cold hard cash. That's why most people do what they do most of the time.

And in reality gay activists are sell-outs to the counter-cultural from which they spring. If they were true to their roots, they would forever eschew the hegemonic tendency of hetero society to marry. But alas, the almighty dollar comes calling and everybody compromises their principles. Welcome to America, ain't America grand, where everything is for sale?

Needless to say, I'm skeptical about the motivations of most groups or politically active groups. Their real purpose is seldom if ever their stated purpose.

Money is surely important to many gay couples (and understandably so). But I think the agenda goes deeper than this. Some simply want acceptance. Some want leverage to force more acceptance in other areas. Some want this as a springboard to other social changes. The purposes are varied, just as our views in this forum are varied.