Well, when you went to get your marriage license, you didn't have to submit proof of premarital chastity. So your argument has nothing to do with the laws governing marriage.

Gay couples can have a ceremony, but as far as the law's concerned in most states, they're nothing more than roommates. So they have none of the legal rights and protections that come with marriage.

And I can remember, growing up in a small, conservative town in the 1960s, people used "the children" as an argument against interracial marriage. People thought those poor little mixed-race kids would either be innately all messed up (they wouldn't know which race to identify with!) or, at the very least, shunned by society. Of course, there was a better argument to be made--that society should change and accept those kids, and that any two consenting adults who love each other should be able to marry.

You know what, religion can be changed, but we allow for interfaith marriages (in civil law; I know some religious bodies won't solemnize them, as is their right, just as religious bodies have the right not to solemnize same-sex marriages or others they disagree with). So the idea that sexual orientation can be changed doesn't justify discrimination. And as far as the "born gay" argument, I believe some people are. And some people are completely gay, some completely straight, others somewhere in between. But no matter what, we should live and let live. Also, while two dads or two moms are not the SAME as a mom and a dad, in most cases they're just as good, and in some cases even better.

Allowing same-sex couples to marry will in no way interfere with the ability of opposite-sex couples to marry. Heterosexual marriage is not in danger.

Well said, Mr. Chapman.

So many things to respond to...allowing a couple to have a legally recognized marriage should have nothing to do with whether you approve or disapprove of their sexual practices. Lesbians have the lowest incidence of sexually transmitted diseases. Bush's wars and tax cuts are what ran up the national debt. Liberal policies did not cause joblessness or housing crises.

In parts of the world where birth control is unavailable, women often die in childbirth or suffer major health complications.

Some of you worry a little too much about what consenting adults do in bed. And I say bravo to Chris Matthews. As he would say, "Ha!"

Maggie is so, so full of crap. I know many "alternative" families--single parents, gay couples--who are raising children and doing a tremendous job. A gay couple I know recently became foster parents to infant twin girls, with hopes of adopting them. These men are both ethical, responsible individuals who will be loving parents. There is a chance that the birth mother can reassert her right to the children--if she conquers her meth addiction and stays out of jail. I ask you, what's the better family situation for the twins?