Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 14 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated 21 years, 8 months ago by
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- I am curious whether (or in which states) it is legal for two homosexuals to marry each other. I was also wondering if it is offensive to call a homosexual "gay."
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Name : Fee, City : St. Charles, State : IL Country : United States,Nope, no civil legal marriage yet exists for us in the U.S. I say civil, because gay churches 'marry' homosexuals all the time. It's binding from the church standpoint, but not in the civil standpoint. Everybody has a different feel for what to be called. I personally prefer queer. Many do not. If you are not actually friends with the person in question, don't make any comments regarding their sexual orientation. It's not good manners!User Detail :
Name : Mark Bentley, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : UFMCC - Cathedral of Hope, Age : 39, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Financial analyst, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,Vermont is the only state that recognizes same-sex marriages. And, no it is not offensive to call homosexuals 'gay'. Personally, I prefer being called gay rather than homosexual. 'Homosexual' seems to me to have a cold, scientific ring to it. Would you rather be called a homosapien or a person???User Detail :
Name : Mike, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 42, City : Ben Lomand, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,It is not legal anywhere in the US for 2 people of the same gender to marry, although Vermont comes close with its Civil Unions. Hawaii and California, as well as a number of localities, like Washington DC, allow for registered domestic partners, but that is far short of marriage. They do not provide the same state and federal rights as marriage (although I believe Vermont's provides all state benefits) and none of these are recognized by other states. For your second question - it is actually preferred by most homosexuals to be called gay or lesbian, although it is insulting if someone refers to something in a negative way by saying 'it's so gay.'User Detail :
Name : Bill T, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 35, City : Silver Spring, State : MD Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,In Vermont, homosexuals can have a 'civil union.' This is basically marriage...I'm not sure what the differences are. My parents had a civil union. I've never met any homosexual who found the word 'gay' offensive.User Detail :
Name : A.R., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Humanist, Age : 30, City : Astoria, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Actor, Education level : Over 4 Years of College,No state in the USA allows gay marriage. As a gay person, I find the word 'homosexual' a creepy label. It sounds clinical -- like a disease. I cringe every time I hate it. Call me gay.User Detail :
Name : Max Holmes, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White / Melungeon, Religion : Atheist, Age : 48, City : Oakland, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,It is not legal in the US for two persons of the same gender to marry. Vermont offers Civil Unions between same-gender couples, which is as close to marriage as any state allows, however the rights of the Civil Union-ized couple do not extend beyond the borders of the state... no other state recognizes such a ceremony as valid and legal. Some states,municipalities, and individual employers offer Domestic Partner Benefits which often require registration of some kind, and in the case of states and cities are applicable only to government employees. These situations allow one employed partner to pay for and share benefits with his/her same-gender partner. Same-gender marriages are being performed in the Netherlands (Norway, or possibly Denmark I believe) but those are available only to residents of the country. Again, a same-gender marriage performed in Norway would not be recognized as valid in the United States. No, it is not usually offensive to refer to a homosexual as gay. Lesbians seem to prefer to be differentiated as lesbian, rather than be lumped together with gay men.User Detail :
Name : Doug25634, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Religion : New Age/Metaphysical, Age : 39, City : Phoenix, State : AZ Country : United States, Occupation : Administrator, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Hi there, I have to admit, I prefer 'gay' over 'homosexual' any day. Just be careful on an individual level, there are just as many gays and lesbians who lack tolerance as there are straight people. There are currently no states where marrying someone of the same sex is legal. In California and Vermont you can form a domestic partnership. This is good because at least we have many of the same rights legally as our married counterparts. If I am mistaken by any of this, then hopefully someone will correct me. Thank you for asking.User Detail :
Name : L Lucas, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 22, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : College student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I believe that Vermont is the only state in the union to recognize a same sex civil union. It's not the same as a marriage, partners will recieve most of the benifits of being married, however not all of them. As far as I'm aware the federal gov. doesn't recongized this, nor does any religion, to my knowledge.User Detail :
Name : Nicole20049, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 20, City : des moines, State : IA Country : United States,No state offers full marriage priveleges for same-sex couples. Vermont comes closest with its same-sex civil unions, and various cities around the country (notably San Francisco) allow domestic partner registration. These arrangements offer some very limited rights within the jurisdictions that recognize them, but they are rarely, if ever, honored by other states, and never by the federal government. As far as calling a homosexual person gay, I see nothing wrong with that. If someone has told you that it's offensive, then you need to tell them that *this* homosexual thinks they seriously need to lighten up!User Detail :
Name : Dan B,, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Buddhist, Age : 31, City : Hayward, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Writer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,1. There are no states in which it is legal for two homosexuals to marry each other. The closest you can get is a civil union ceremony in Vermont that provides some of the benefits of marriage, but only to citizens of Vermont. Those relationships are not recognized by any other state. 2. That depends on the context. If you say of someone, 'He's so gay!' in a disparaging voice, then no, it's not okay. If you are answering a question, 'Is he married?' with a response, 'No, he's gay, but he has a partner,' that's probably acceptable. I would say that you should use 'gay' in roughly the same way that you would use something like 'Caucasian.' Most of the time, it simply is not necessary.User Detail :
Name : Paul30487, City : Seattle, State : WA Country : United States,At this time it is not legal for gays to marry in any state in America. There are states that have domestic partner registration, but not 'marriage.' As far as calling homosexuals gay, I do not find it offensive.User Detail :
Name : Deb25769, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 48, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,Unfortunately to date there is only two countries offering same sex marriage, and they are The Netherlands and Denmark. There is a lot of talk about maybe Canada and the U.K. allowing same sex marriage, but that is still is the talking stages only.User Detail :
Name : Tina, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 34, City : Melbourne, State : NA Country : Australia, Occupation : Full time student/Part time Web developer, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Vermont comes closest with Civil Unions: a state-recognized joining of unrelated same-sex adults that is as close as the conservatives of the state would allow the legislation to come to full marriage as mandated by the state supreme court. A Civil Union is valid only in Vermont and is not recognized as a valid relationship by any other state or governmental body. Gay marriages are being performed in Europe.User Detail :
Name : Doug25646, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : New Age/Metaphysical, Age : 39, City : Phoenix, State : AZ Country : United States, Occupation : Administrator, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,As far as it being offensive to call a homosexual 'gay,' I've never heard of that term being offensive to anyone. It tends to be the other terms (homo, faggot, queer, etc.) that are derogatory, and some homosexuals have even commandeered those to describe themselves.User Detail :
Name : Kel26551, City : Albuquerque, State : NM Country : United States,
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