Families: picking favourites

Many of you will have already seen this beauty doing the rounds, but if you haven’t it’s worth a viewing


“Fidelity”: Don’t Divorce… from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

It reminded me a little about the power we give the state by allowing it to make the rules about our relationships. But far more strongly it made me think of the way the moral right wants to pick favourites amongst our families; it wants to say those families in the video are less good than het families.

Why does a lobby that argues so strongly against state interference in families simultaneously argue that the state should get to pick which families are better than others?

11 thoughts on “Families: picking favourites

  1. Nice video, ‘picking favourites’ is a good one too.

    Normally I can pick what an economic right winger will say, but not so much the moral ones in this case…

  2. I wouldn’t say “moral” so much as “social”. Sexual orientation isn’t a matter of morality.

    Oh, and only agreement with you on the inconsistency in their position.

  3. I wouldn’t say “moral” so much as “social”. Sexual orientation isn’t a matter of morality.

    I doubt Family First et al would agree with you on that one.

    More importantly, I think the religious right struggle to articulate a consistent viewpoint because what they really want is a theocracy. In the absence of that they swing from ‘don’t interfere in our lives [because we are doing what I think the bible says]’ to ‘interfere in those peoples lives [because they aren’t doing what I think the bible says]’. Thankfully the religious right isn’t as strong here as elsewhere.

  4. The question for us here in New Zealand is are Civil Unions “separate but equal” segregation?

    If you enjoyed that video you should watch “San Diego Mayor Sanders Supports Gay Marriage” on youtube.

  5. EbolaCola,

    My view in principle is in the comments here.

    My view in practice under the current legislation is that legal marriage smacks of inequality and heterosexual privilege, and that any couple who wants legal recognition of their union should use the civil union form where is has less built in inequality.

  6. I doubt Family First et al would agree with you on that one.

    Which is practically an endorsement of my view :)

  7. Ari writes,

    I wouldn’t say “moral” so much as “social”. Sexual orientation isn’t a matter of morality.

    Sexual orientation isn’t a matter of morality to you or me, but there are a whole range of people whose homophobia comes from their moral framework.

    Do you think there are people whose homophobia comes from anything other than morality or one-up-one-down power structures?

  8. I can see where Family First are coming from, but they don’t seem to accept that not all marriages work out the way they want. If marriages go toxic and are forbidden from being broken up, the end result will usually be domestic violence – even to the point of homicide.

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