Who’d a thunk it? This may be the first fairly rational thing out of Elton John’s mouth in a decade.
According to Michael Medved via USA Today:
One of the world’s most prominent gay entertainers offered some rare common sense on the explosive issue of same sex marriage. In New York City for a gala AIDS benefit, rock legend Sir Elton John appeared with his long-time partner, David Furnish. “We’re not married,” he told the press, “Let’s get that straight. We have a civil partnership…I don’t want to be married! I’m very happy with a civil partnership. 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”. If more people on all sides of this issue embraced the simple, irrefutable logic of this clear-thinking superstar, a vastly divisive, unnecessary controversy could reach a successful and amicable solution.
November 27, 2008 at 4:26 am
You know what they say… Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.
November 27, 2008 at 5:38 am
ah, intelligence 🙂
November 27, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Except that the Catholic Church is officially opposed to even civil partnerships between practicing homosexuals. Please refer to the Compendium of the Catholic Church.
November 27, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Eo, Didn’t say Elton was Catholic. Just said he was against gay marriage.
November 27, 2008 at 2:51 pm
a successful and amicable solution.
except that “civil” partnerships would be a success only for homosexual activists, and nobody else. That’s why the Church urges us to oppose them. They’d be only another step toward the legal abolition of the very concept of family
see:
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Considerations regarding proposals to give legal recognition to unions between homosexual persons (July 31, 2003)
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/doc_doc_index.htm
November 27, 2008 at 3:06 pm
“Eo, Didn’t say Elton was Catholic. Just said he was against gay marriage.”
I see absolutely no substantial difference between civil unions and same-sex marriage. The only distinction is the name by which the thing is called. In fact, it could be argued that the term “civil union” is but a euphemism for same-sex marriage, just as the legal term “intergenerational intimacy” is a euphemism for child molestation.
Because those in civil unions enjoy the exact same rights and privileges as married couples, at least in the eyes of secular law, anyone who supports civil unions supports the legal recognition of same-sex marriage by definition, if not by name.
Therefore, the logic that declares Elton John is against gay marriage would also declare Margaret Sanger is against abortion, that is, if she said that she was in favor of fetal extraction instead.
November 27, 2008 at 3:08 pm
My point is, a rose is a rose is a rose, even if it is called by another name.
November 27, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Of course many heterosexual couples treat marriage as a civil union. That is a contract that can just be canceled at some future point. No sacrifice our life time commitment required, just be together until things get rough.
The homosexual lobby has never really cared all that much about same-sex marriage other than as a tool to force acceptance. The number of same-sex marriages in Massachusetts has slowed considerably since the initial outburst. Tapping your leg in bathroom stalls is part of the homosexual hook up culture and not any movement of permanent homosexual relationships.
As for the difference between civil partnerships and marriage, the difference is natural law. Civil partnerships are a phony construct to pretend marriage without commitment.
Part of the reason the homosexual lobby has been so successful is how badly we now treat marriage with no fault divorce. Marriage is no longer treated as sacred so why should we be surprised when others think they can imitate it?
November 28, 2008 at 2:13 am
Hmmm…good points Jeff.
My proposition then is to eliminate all civil unions, limit divorce to only situations involving fornication/adultery or abuse, and reinforce the natural law with positive law firmly declaring that marriage is between one man and one woman.
Sound like a plan?
November 28, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Wow. I’m surprised to hear this coming from Elton John.
I also send him my sympathies. Now that he’s said something this common sense, he will be attacked as bigoted by the gay community. You all know that, right?
November 29, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I’m totally surprised Elton said this – I thought he had married – well at least he sees that marriage is impossible for same sex people. Amy is right – he’ll be in trouble now.
November 29, 2008 at 5:52 pm
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November 30, 2008 at 2:24 am
The important difference between legal same sex civil unions and legal same sex marriages is that in order to accomplish the latter the State must redefine marriage from being the union of a man and woman to being a union between two persons. This redefines marriage for everyone whether they be gay or straight and this is more serious than same sex civil unions.
November 30, 2008 at 6:19 pm
The obvious choice for Sir Elton!
A ‘divorce’ could be costly.