Thursday, November 13, 2008

Elton John: Where Prop 8 went wrong

It's nice to know that there is a gay celebrity out there who has things in perspective...

http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-11-12-elton-john_N.htm?POE=click-refer#close-share-help

"I don't want to be married. I'm very happy with a civil partnership. If gay people want to get married, or get together, they should have a civil partnership," John says. "The word 'marriage,' I think, puts a lot of people off.
"You get the same equal rights that we do when we have a civil partnership. Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships."

6 comments:

Heather said...

OMG... I actually agree with Elton John on something! I'm starting to think that same-sex marriage isn't something gay people want, it's something the ACLU or other "minority activist" groups want.

Anonymous said...

Um...you ARE aware that Elton John isn't the spokesperson for all gay people? That having a gay celebrity agree with you doesn't vindicate you in any way...?

Anonymous said...

We appreciate your comment, waltzinexile. Of course Elton John isn't the spokesperson for all gay people, but as a high-profile and highly respected leader of the gay community, we are glad that he has shared his opinion about why Prop 8 was successful. I don't think we are looking for vindication at all, or need it for that matter. The citizens of California have spoken, and the majority supports the traditional definition of marriage.

Frank said...

Elton John isn't even a U.S. citizen, and he's certainly not a leader of the gay community. That's like saying whacked out slut Britney Spears is a leader of the heterosexual, Republican community.

Elton did say that he favors banning religion because it turns people into hateful lemmings. He has his inspired moments.

Heather said...

Frank,

I respect your opinion and you bring up some good points.

Elton John is not a U.S. Citizen (did I say he was?)

Elton John is not the leader of the gay community (did I say he was?)

My point in posting this article was to point out that not all gay people are in favor of marriage, just as not all heterosexual people are against same-sex marriage.

I relate posting this article to the same as the media splashing pictures of Brad Pitt and Barbra Streisand all over the news as trying to defeat prop 8.

Frank said...

Heather writes:

Elton John is not the leader of the gay community (did I say he was?)

Heidi wrote:

"[A]s a high-profile and highly respected LEADER of the gay community, we are glad that [John] has shared his opinion about why Prop 8 was successful."

Sorry for the confusion, I was responding to Heidi.

Two of the most influential religious groups for Prop 8 were the Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The current Pope and the previous LDS First President publicly said that they are opposed to any public recognition of same-sex couples.

The experience with civil unions post Prop 22 is that Proposition 22 was used as a rationale to attack the rights in civil unions. Some gay marriage opponents said that civil unions were marriage by another name and actively campaigned to have the rights associated with civil unions reduced if not eliminated. Therefore, the same sex marriage opponents have demonstrated the separate is not equal argument for those in favor of gay marriage.

In fact, they convinced me to shift my position, which was for civil unions but not marriage to one in favor of same sex marriage.

Elton John, not being a California resident or voter, probably isn't aware of the history. Once the Cardinal Ratzinger took an all-or-nothing approach in 1986, what other position could the opposition take?