At least twice in the two days since a federal judge struck down California’s Proposition 8 that banned same-sex marriage, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins has had a curious message for gays and lesbians: They have every right to get married, just not to other gays or lesbians.
From Wednesday, minutes after the ruling was issued:
“The fact that homosexuals prefer not to enter into marriages as historically defined does not give them a right to change the definition of what a ‘marriage’ is.”
And Thursday:
“Everyone in America–including homosexuals–is free to tie the knot. Our laws simply require them to marry someone of the opposite sex–just as they require us not to marry children, blood relatives, multiple partners, or people who are already married. There is no discrimination, because these restrictions apply equally to every person. The fact that homosexuals don’t want to enter into marriage as defined by the laws of the states … doesn’t give them the right to change what marriage is.”
At first I wasn’t sure he was serious. When I saw it a second time, I figured he must be. Here’s my question for Perkins — and I’d ask this in all sincerity and honesty: Would you want your daughter to marry a gay man? Or, if you had a gay son, would you want him to marry a woman?
I’ll throw the same question out to you readers, as well: Is heterosexual marriage the answer to gays seeking to tie the knot?