Here is a copy of the letter I sent to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Dianne Feinstein in response to their laudable but short-sighted support of same-sex marriage. (I added the link to this post…) Thank you for supporting the right of everybody to get married. While I agree that everybody – including people in the LGBT community – should have this right, I strongly object to the claim that this creates equality for all since the government uses marital status as a way to distribute rights and privileges. This creates a bright red dividing line between the married and … Continue reading »
Jan 312009
Jan 312009
As I’ve mentioned before, I came out as a single by choice in my new years newsletter to friends and family. I am getting mostly positive reactions, including from my parents. Still, it is interesting that the blatant singlism is coming from Germany. And there I had thought that Europeans are more progressive (I am still hoping this is a result of the unrepresentative sample, though…). Although I never wrote that I’d be shunning men, period, that seems to be the message that gets across. I have several male friends, so how they’d fit into this black-and-white picture I never … Continue reading »
Jan 272009
Cheryl Wetzstein wrote a passionate piece over at the Washington Post arguing that the Obama administration better keep funding marriage programs. This would be a great article to take apart in a philosophy class! I think Wetzstein hits just about every logical fallacy there is… “I’m a Democrat,” [Patty Howell, vice president of media relations for the California Healthy Marriages Coalition (CHMC)] began, “so I know that marriage education and relationship-skills training totally aligns with Democrats’ values and Democrats’ social agenda.” Okay… Just because you are a Democrat, your positions don’t necessarily represent the Democratic party. Plus, simply claiming that … Continue reading »
A 4-year old gem, an article in Conscience magazine, provides central arguments against marriage – same-sex or different sex. Mary E. Hunt, a Catholic feminist theologian, eloquently argues in “A Marriage Proposal” for moving beyond the focus on marriage to focusing on building a just society. Some of her points that especially resonated with me: In fact, what seems to be a huge step forward for lesbian and gay people, will, when achieved, extend the reach of state control over relationships. It will privilege those who are coupled over those who are single or otherwise connected. It will shore up … Continue reading »
Jan 232009
Obama’s campaign was all about change. Presumably his presidency will be about this as well, if his first few days in office are an indication, there certainly will be quite a few things changing, for the better. But is this change fundamental enough? I suspect not. The financial crisis and the specter of climate change are clear reminders that our way of life is not sustainable. There is a limit to growth no matter what economists are trying to make us believe. We need to rethink our fundamental assumptions instead of calling on each other to defend our way of … Continue reading »
Jan 202009
Did you hear that President Barack Hussein Obama mentioned the unbelievers in his inauguration speech? He said: For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall … Continue reading »
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