Call this, missing the forest for the trees. Andrew Sullivan has been crowing that the success of Brokeback Mountain speaks to a total victory (or something akin to that) for gay rights. It shows, according to Sullivan, that Mr. and Mrs. Average American, harbor no animus to gay people and therefore, gays should now be allowed to marry, serve openly in the armed forces and so on. Personally, the success of the film has much more to do with buzz than anything else. The movie is controversial and talked about in nearly every corner of the media. You cannot escape the film. Oddly, I don't remember seeing a single commercial for it. THAT is what is drawing people. They want to see it for themselves. I have neither an interest nor a problem with the film. I don't typically like straight love stories so I have no interest in gay ones either. I like Ang Lee as a director and it's probably a good film. It's at least refreshing that these guys are not swishing, swaning queens who are charicatures of themselves.

Conservatives are against gay marriage. I understand their arguement but the thing they are missing is this; Gay people aren't going anywhere. They are not going to stop being gay because we don't approve or let them marry. Should we encourage them to commit to one person and to stability for a lifetime or not? Should they aspire to a house and family and a place in the 'burbs with the white picket fence or a string of partners and transitionalism and instability?

To me, there should be a bright line between civil and religious recognition. No church should be required to recognize any union by anyone they do not sanction. That goes for divorcees, gays or whatever. However, civil authorities should not deny two people who love each other, the right to share property, to pass inheritance to whomever they wish and so on.

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