I think I make it pretty clear in my video today that I don’t understand why we’re even talking about this. I don’t understand the arguments of people who oppose gay marriage, and I’m usually pretty good at understanding people’s viewpoints. 

The arguments are so silly and uninteresting that it’s hard to argue that there isn’t a deeper place where all of this is coming from. I think, in my quest, I’ve found some understanding that allows me a little bit of peace.

The world is complicated, and we like to think that we have tools with which to understand it. But it’s difficult to imagine understanding a world with no foundations. To a lot of people, I think, gender and sexual orientation are a big pillar of support for their understanding of the world. 

I have mine, science, belief in the fundamental goodness of people, love of family, etc. 

Other people have God and tradition and loyalty.

And so when I say something like “All people who love each other should be allowed to get married.” People who use God and tradition as fundamental supports for their understanding of the world feel as if those supports are being attacked. 

When people attack my fundamental supports, I also get angry. Like when people stop teaching science in schools because they see it as an attack on Christianity…that pisses me off. A lot. 

So I can understand that. But being American isn’t about protecting your pilars of belief, it’s about supporting equality and freedom. 

We are not asking straight people to get married. We’re not even asking them to hang out with gay people, or agree that homosexuality is OK. They’re perfectly welcome to believe whatever they want, as long as it does not infringe upon the rights of other Americans. 

Legalizing gay marriage does not infringe upon anyone’s rights, making it illegal does. It’s that simple.

Legalizing gay marriage does not infringe upon anyone’s rights, making it illegal does. It’s that simple.