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David Ryder / Getty Images
Couples exchange vows during a mass wedding for 25 same-sex partners at Seattle First Baptist Church, Dec. 9, 2012, in Seattle, Wash. Sunday is the first day that same-sex couples can legally wed in Washington state.
David Ryder / Getty Images
Johanna Flynn, left, makes her way out of City Hall with her wife, Allison Kelsey on Sunday in Seattle.
Reuters reported on Sunday:
Hundreds of well-wishers braved a damp and chilly Seattle morning to celebrate the first of 140 weddings at City Hall on Sunday, marking the first day that same-sex couples can marry in Washington state.
Washington, Maine and Maryland last month became the first U.S. states to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples by a popular vote, in a leap forward for gay rights.
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Elaine Thompson / AP
Terry Gilbert, left, kisses his husband Paul Beppler after getting married at Seattle City Hall, becoming one of the first gay couples to legally wed in the state, Dec. 9. Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a voter-approved law legalizing gay marriage on Dec. 5 and weddings for gay and lesbian couples began in Washington on Sunday, following the three-day waiting period after marriage licenses were issued earlier in the week.
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Then look at something else.
Ryan, why do you think you are in charge? If you feel that the morality of someone else offends you, then your only solution is for them to stop and give in to you and your viewpoint. How do you propose that is "equality?" How do you propose to resolve the unfairness you have created? If your solution is "then look at something else," and you consider that valid, then why is "then two men should not kiss" NOT a valid solution to the problem here? You have to learn to live by the same rules you want to create.
Sickening and against the morals for which this Nation was founded. This immoral issue has made the news for so long now, that most folks are beginning to believe that it is OK and is accepted across the land.
It's somewhat similar to the old saying, "if you hear the lie long enough, you will eventually begin to believe it is the truth.
Lovely, just lovely.... another reason I can't stand the liberal bobble heads at NBC. I've got a better idea for your next project. How about we legalize marriage between say, a woman, a goat, and a one-legged hobbit with halitosis? You can even throw in an ogre for good measure. Seriously, let's just rewrite 200+ years of history, wipe our asses on the Constitution, require gay sex as an entrance fee for citizenship, and call it all good.
Two people of the same sex can live together if they want, but it will never be a marriage. No law can change the definition of marriage.
The definition of marriage is in itself defined by the statutes of religion, nothing more. The legal rights of people should be defined and protected by law. We have separation of church and state here in America, therefore, even if you believe/your religion tells you that the definition of marriage is between "man and woman", the law should protect the ability of those who want to share their love (i.e. a man and man or woman and woman), it should do so. People take their definitions from religion and the fact boils down to if two people love each other and want to spend his or her lives together with someone of the same sex, they should be able to without recourse and share that love. They are not hurting you or anyone else for that matter, so your rights are in no way infringed upon. I would know, I am spending my life with my partner and we have a wonderful life together and we aren't hurting or affecting anyone else, so who are you to judge truly what marriage constitutes.
So disgusting! And revolting! And totally against what God-- WHO DESIGNED MARRIAGE IN THE FIRST PLACE-- had in mind!!!!
Hey guitargirl--why don't you quote what Jesus said in the New Testament about homosexuality? OH WAIT....you CAN'T because JESUS NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT IT! BWAAAAAHAHAHAHA Love all you Christianists--thump the bible but ignore Jesus' teachings of love!
Try Leviticus 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
Or Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Deuteronomy 22:5 “A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.
Logical One...that's those people, not Jesus. Thank you. Again, no where did Jesus or God say that homosexuality was a sin. Why would "He" have created them if he didn't want them? I mean, really. Homosexuality has existed since the dawn of mankind and long before Jesus/God came into existence, which by the way, was after humans were already existing in the first place. According to the timeline of Jesus, God, and the onset of mankind, religion is negated by the solid facts that Earth and human/animal kind have existed long before religion was ever made by mankind.
Great news now so many will be able to claim survivors benefits when a spouse dies! thats ok social security has plenty of extra cash,I been paying in for almost a lifetime so they must have lots-a dough by now !
Let me get this straight, you are okay with homosexuals paying social security taxes but not collecting said benefits? hmm interesting. So this is the new argument towards marriage equality? THEY WILL USE THE BENEFITS THEY HAVE BEEN PAYING FOR YEARS!.
Sorry I do have a problem with WIDOWS benifits for a MAN named BOB.
The land of the queer, and the home of the gay...
Oh think of the military ramifications since gays and lesbians can now marry I think our military has just gone coed !!! It's the same thing right?
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the QUEER and the home of the GAY!
Hey guys I want to speech loud and frankly about my attitude about this issue ... I do not meant to hurt anyone’s feeling instead of what believes make me a man like today that create this kind of vision. Honestly I love people to be with a good life style I like to see a person around me live in harmony and fruitfulness. This is all about same sex marriage and issues relating to that...
What we think is a human being in 21 century ... we can do anything we wish to? What I s freedom? Equality and moral ground of community in this planet. Today you all giving praise to who marry same sex people! You saying that they have right to do? I don’t know what kind of human right is allowing people to marry same sex, If i am illiterate educate me with good knowledge that will lead my human kingdom to a progressive standard of living.
Tomorrow will come ... if human started to sex with animal they can marry each other because it will become a right of that time period man !
What is gay and what we need to fix it when it will started to grew in human mind, Sociological education and sociological evaluations needed to this kind of people when they started to behave like that. It will cure with treatment and care of other people around a person who posses to be a gay. Instead of treat them like that we make a law to protect the illness behavior of community and give cover of law do that ...
I am as human being strongly disagree with this kind of act in my community. Its against the nature its breaking moral boundary we created through thousands of years.
In my words
"Freedom shall be protected with the rule of law... Law should be capable to establish the freedom of man"
"Tomorrow will come ... if human started to sex with animal they can marry each other because it will become a right of that time period man !" You are a moron. A)Animals cannot give consent, anything or anybody that cannot give consent (Children animals A TV) cannot enter into a legal contract 2)Marriage is a contract between TWO PEOPLE nothing about procreating will of GOD blah blah 3)Now holy Matrimony is a different story. But Gays aren't demanding holy Matrimony. Or their marriages to be recognized by the church. they just want to be equal under the law. They pay Taxes dude, right there, just in that part of their lives they are being violated under unequal taxation under the law....well, the ones that are together and cant get married. This is a tax and property issue, has nothing to do with the church. Just because the church gets involved doesnt mean they have any say in it. It doesnt affect them at all. Just like it doesnt straight couples. Churches can deny communion to their gay sheeps and straight couples dont have to talk to their gay neighbors or gaybors. Now the Federal Government does have to recognize their unions and give them all the benefits all married people get. Yes you can still say is yucky and immoral and sinful but those are subjective terms based on religion. I For one hate people with more than 4 kids, fat couples. Married people that drive BMWs but their kids are always filthy and hungry. And a lot more things i find disgusting. But im not gonna deny them their rights. And marriage is a right, is not a privilege like driving.....it is a right, like voting. Hell even people on death row can get married. So stop your "it's yucky" and it's "disgusting" because you look silly.
Are you people KIDDING me with these posts? I have never heard such ignorance and fearful human beings in all of my life. Difference doesn't mean bad. What happened to Live and let Live. What happened to the Golden Rule and Loving your Neighbor.
No one is trying to take away anything from you - everyone just wants the right to love and commit and have their state recognize it, so their families can live and be protected in case of illness, insurance, privacy rights etc. Why on earth do you feel the need to deny Love from someone - how incredibly assuming and egotistical of you to do the job of God!? Not sure God would look highly on you for doing that! Lets God be our final judge, not you.
God designed a man to be with a women, not a man with a man. There is nothing wrong with saying this is NOT okay. You can still love your neighbor and stand against what is wrong and stand for what is right.
The fact is that if ALL these people wanted were the right to LOVE, COMMIT and HAVE THEIR STATE RECOGNIZE IT they could have accomplished that through binding legal agreements. This marriage issue is more than that. It is an attempt to redefine society as a whole. That is why the insistence on calling these "unions" marriage. Don't be fooled by the "civil rights" palaver!
Real easy solution to all of this that should satisfy everyone. Get the government completely out of the business of marriage. No special tax deduction (and conversely no tax penalty), no marraige license (what the hell is that anyway?). Just let churches perform a marraige ritual just like they do a baptism. After all, marriage is a church construct to begin with. Then let each type of church decide, and let companies decide what kind of benefits they will extend or allow insurance companies to charge more to cover a 2 person "domestic partnership" than a single person. I am not sure why the government is involved in the marraige business at all anyway.
Oh such moral indignation. Did you know that gonorrhea started when shepards were screwing sheep? Did you know that HIV began and is spread primarily by Homosexuals?
Next best pictures on MSMBC Left Wing site will be of a man and a donkey.
Actually, get your facts right. You will never hear of it because of how society here wants to inflame gay people, but straight people were spreading it just as much, too. At least acknowledge that for once in human history.
Frigging disgusting and offensive. Might as well show people marrying goats too.
God designed a man and a women to be together. God didn't change His mind on this issue because society says it's ok.
Who let all the Fred Phelps worshipers in?
Do you HAVE to show 2 men kissing? You know there's still a lot of normal guys out here and that it's almost sexual harrassment to show that ... it is naturally disgusting to a heterosexual...I don't care what two homosexuals do, just don't like it in my face.
Will all you gays PLEASE go back in the closet? There's children out here....and straights. I see an enormous backlash if perversions, to us, continue to be forced in our faces. Your perversion is nothing to be proud of just as no one should hassle you if you keep it reasonably private.
I know a whole lot of straight people that are not offended by that photo or by me and my partner. Your argument is just as easily negated. Children learn their prejudices from parents and adults like you. They know no ignorances unless they are taught it. Kissing by a heterosexual I could argue is just as equally revolting to me as me kissing a guy is to you, same difference. I respect your views even though I do not agree with them, but it does not give you the right to keep or take away rights from me, that ideology stems from your religious beliefs, not the fact that equality and civil rights are for everyone.
MSNBC-You can get a point across without posting pictures like this!
Despictable
What's dispicable is the hateful and vulgar reaction of so many of you who call yourselves "good christian people." I can assure you that many folks are more disgusted by your ignorant, intolerant, biggoted, malevolent hate speech than you are by seeing two people who love each other, commit to spend their lives together, and share a kiss to commemorate their union. Shame on you! The Westboro Baptist Church would be PROUD to call you a member.
THANK YOU MSNBC for having the courage and fairness to post these photos, unapologetically as they should be. Being gay is NOT immoral, any more than being left handed, or having red hair. But what is immoral is the vile comments and bigotry being proudly displayed, as if waiving a flag of self-annointed pioty.
If this were photos of interracial couples during the '50's and '60's, your comments would sound just like the majority racists of the time. Fitting, really, since this is the civil rights issue of this generation, and you're the ones on the wrong side of history, the wrong side of American values, the wrong side of goodness, kindness, and understanding, and will be viewed by future generations much like the "southern cracker racists" who stood firmly in the way of racial equality. Good luck with that.
Astronomy, fantastic posts!
As for everyone else... if you don't want to see pictures like these, don't look at them, don't click on the stories and the links... it's called photoblog for a reason.
It's discouraging to see so much hate in this world, especially by so many people. The comments that have been posted in here by so many people are prime examples of intolerance, hate, ignorance, and what's wrong with the world.
Congrats to all of the devoted couples in Washington, and around the rest of the country that are able to finally marry. I look forward to a time when every devoted couple in the entire country will be able to marry and live equally with equal rights. It's only a matter of time. Keep up the fight and we'll be looking back on this in the future as another rights movement that overcame hate.
I am sick and tired of the totally lack of moral equivalence of this abhorrent behavior to what Black People experienced in the Jim Crow South and the period in our country preceding the passage of the Civil Rights Amendment. Everything that THESE people seek is available to them under contractual law in this country...TODAY...All of this exposure is simply an attempt to move this behavior into the mainstream of American life. In the end it is all about SEX!...In the END was not meant to be a pun!
1. People talk about homosexuality being unnatural. Homosexuality is found in many animal species. Are they being "converted" by watching too much "gay" tv or by looking at pictures of gay men kissing?
2. Please read history. Marriage has been a legal, social construct aimed at transferring property rights and controlling women long before the beginnings of the Christian church. Marriages were traditionally arranged without the consent of the persons being married and still are in some countries. The church got into the act in order to extend its control over society. In other words, it's a legal construct that exists independent of the church.
3. God didn't "design" marriage in one way that has existed through all time. You can find polygamy, bigamy, concubines, murdering of a spouse in order to marry the survivor, etc. Does this mean that God changed "His" mind over time?
4. There are some personal elements in this for me. My parents were not able to procreate so I'm adopted. Does that mean they really weren't married? Does this mean they shouldn't have been allowed to procreate? Read the wedding vows. Many say something about the procreation of children "if it is God's will".
5. With regard to looking at pictures of gay men kissing, believe me, we gay people aren't exactly thrilled by having to look at you hets sucking face all over the place.
6. Just because two straight people can get married and have children doesn't mean they should. My mother's father was a "mean" drunk who beat my grandmother. She finally divorced him in the 1940s when he broke her nose. Of course, she was blamed as a "Jezebel". My mother had no relationship with him during her life. Was this really a better situation than being raised by two loving homosexual parents just because her parents were a man (mean drunk) and a woman?
By selecting to view this site I knew I would encounter some haters. But the Neanderthals ranting here! You knew what this site was; you didn't have to visit it. I feel we're reversing centuries of hate of those who are different, fueled by the fear of change. If you don't approve, as has been suggested, look elsewhere. But don't expect everybody to follow your rules. You're not in charge.
wow, how may people have forgotten what they learned in kindergarten. IF YOU DON"T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY, THEN DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL
it really doesn't matter what one's opinion about the morality of two same sex people getting married when you take into account the fact that much of the opposition comes from people who can be best described as " kinnidies"! you know, family oriented types. of course, i have neglected to leave out that holier than thou group who follow the teachings of father kneel down. butt in the end, it is nobody's business.