It is not obvious to anyone (nowadays, or ever, AFAIK) that...

That's a pretty sweeping statement. =Anyone=? (it's obvious to me).
=Ever=? (I'd like to see your time machine - I think in the future we
will have accepted gay couples as loving family units just like we
accept mixed race couples the same way). Care to rephrase, or do you
really mean it to be as sweeping as all this?

I wasn't referring specifically to the actions of gay couples -- I was
referring to the fact that we can (as a society) "discriminate" against
people's *actions* as opposed to their appearance. This
"discrimination" is called the "law."

Let's try a rather elaborately silly example to illustrate my point:

If you decide you're going to stick your finger in your nose in a fine
restaurant, and eat whatever you retrieve, you WILL be escorted from
that restaurant, guaranteed.

However, if you have blue eyes, you won't. One is an action, one is an
appearance. They are both harmless to all concerned, but are treated
quite differently.

Why? Because the vast majority of society is offended by people
eating their own snot, but are not offended by blue-colored eyes.

Mind you, I'm not delving into the reasons WHY society finds
nose-picking obnoxious. It doesn't really make much sense, when you
analyze it, and, quite frankly, I don't care. That's just the way it
is.

Now, if you do your nose picking (and eating) in the privacy of your
own home, or amongst like-minded nose-pickers who find that action to
be particularly exciting, all is well. Keep things private, and
consenting adults can do anything they want.

But when you announce to the non-nose-picking world that snot-eaters
should be given equal rights with blue-eyed restaurant patrons in the
eyes of the state, or that loving nose-picking couples should be
granted the same social rights and legal status as blue-eyed married
couples, I suspect you're going to run into a brick wall.

This is the wall of societal norms that homosexual couples face. It's
an uphill battle to surmount, to say the least. Why in the world the
gay community is wasting their hard-won political capital on such a
losing battle is a mystery. It's an unwinnable fight that -- after last
week's elections -- appears to be severely harming their long-term
cause.

Yes, in general, actions are something we may discriminate based on.
And the =important= actions here are that a loving gay couple is
=loving= That's a Good Thing. It's what we need more of in this world.
They are committed to each other. That is also a Good Thing (and
lacking in many heterosexual married couples). They have proclaimed
this committment for life in front of all. That's a Good Thing (that's
what marriage is about).

I see Good Things. What are the Bad Things you are afraid of?

Nothing. Where's the argument? Back to flying!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"