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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I should have said "how fascinated <EM>some</EM>
straight people are........"</FONT></DIV>
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style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=nanogirl@halcyon.com href="mailto:nanogirl@halcyon.com">Gina
Miller</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org
href="mailto:extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org">ExI chat list</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, July 21, 2005 4:05
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [extropy-chat] Gay marriage
in Spain, a world of change</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Evan wrote "<FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>Myself, I have gay friends and treat them no differently than any of my
other friends." </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I've seen this strategy used before. <EM>I know
gay people so this provides me the authority to decide what is right for
them.</EM> But you know what would have been better? <EM>I am a gay
person</EM>..... now that would have given genuine power to the rest of
your statements! How about letting the gay person decide for themselves!
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>It always blows my mind how fascinated straight
people are with the gay's private life. Do we discuss with straight folks
what they do behind closed doors? No. But if we did, I bet you would be
shocked to find out what they do! For some reason it is recognized that it is
none of our business............. we should have the same respect for
everybody. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>Evan wrote "Homosexuality is not NORMAL. That doesn't mean it is evil or
terrible or anything of the sort. It is simply not <BR>normal."</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>What this "Normal" reference really comes
down to is numbers, statistics. Since heterosexuality <EM>appears</EM> to be
the majority (and I say appears, because not everyone is explicit about their
sexual experiences - I don't think I have to explain why) it some how empowers
some to believe that dominance equals superior knowledge on the subject - or
even rightness. What if it was the other way around? What if your
heterosexuality was the minority - how would you explain away why you are
attracted to the opposite sex? How would it feel having to justify what just
comes natural to you? And that you must always refer to your personal sexual
activity when trying to just live your life and obtain equal societal
rights?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Note: we here are a group of people who are
striving for change, for progress. The future that I envision for
myself at least for the time being is not the future that the majority of
the mainstream populous would partake of (cryonics, nanotech, A.I.). This
is okay, those who do not want to apply future advancements to their lives,
are not required to do so. I would not force the rest of society to subscribe
to my own lifestyle. </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>I accept this difference
and only want the option to be able to choose differently for myself. I
shouldn't force them, and they shouldn't force me - we should have a choice.
<U>By accepting and allowing differences
for others, the allowance of my own choices
increases.</U> This is imperative, for people to coexist even though they
may have different belief systems. We need to be consistent. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Gina "Nanogirl" Miller<BR>Nanotechnology
Industries<BR><A
href="http://www.nanoindustries.com">http://www.nanoindustries.com</A><BR>Personal:
<A
href="http://www.nanogirl.com/index2.html">http://www.nanogirl.com/index2.html</A><BR>Foresight
Senior Associate <A
href="http://www.foresight.org">http://www.foresight.org</A><BR>Nanotechnology
Advisor Extropy Institute <A
href="http://www.extropy.org">http://www.extropy.org</A><BR>3D/Animation <A
href="http://www.nanogirl.com/museumfuture/index.htm">http://www.nanogirl.com/museumfuture/index.htm</A><BR>Email:
<A
href="mailto:nanogirl@halcyon.com">nanogirl@halcyon.com</A><BR>"Nanotechnology:
Solutions for the future."<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>Original Message ----- </DIV>
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<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=hamlin_e@hotmail.com href="mailto:hamlin_e@hotmail.com">Evan
Hamlin</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>I live in Madrid, Spain so this post obviously hits close to
home. <BR>Personally, I can live with civil unions between homosexuals. I
accept the <BR>fact that society is beginning to view homosexuality with a
degree of <BR>normalicy that would have nauseated our forefathers. Myself, I
have gay <BR>friends and treat them no differently than any of my other
friends. Hell I <BR>even go down to Chueca (Madrid's gay district, what an
insane place) to <BR>party from time to time. However, I do not believe that
gay unions should be <BR>made equal to the union between a man and woman;
the only kind of union <BR>which makes sense in the eyes of nature, and even
God for that matter <BR>(though that matters little to me, being
non-religious). To put gay <BR>marriages on the same level as heterosexual
marriages is to declare that our <BR>society views homosexuality as being as
normal as heterosexuality, which <BR>makes no sense in the natural order of
mankind or all other animals. To say <BR>that it has existed for thousands
of years doesn't validate it either. I'm <BR>sure dendrophelia has also
existed for many years, but does that mean we <BR>should allow a man and a
tree to marry? I hasten to admit that my example is <BR>extreme, but
everyone has become so wrapped up in their politically <BR>correctness to
admit the obvious: Homosexuality is not NORMAL. That doesn't <BR>mean it is
evil or terrible or anything of the sort. It is simply not <BR>normal. And
to pass laws making it so seems to me to be a step in the wrong
<BR>direction.<BR><BR>Perhaps I am being harsh, but I think people need to
step back and <BR>reevaluate the situation.<BR><BR>-Evan<BR>"The trouble
with normal is that it only gets worse." -Bruce
Cockburn<BR><BR><BR>-------------------Original
Message-----------------------------<BR>Comment: Viva
Zapatero!<BR>Civilrights.org<<A
href="http://www.civilrights.org/issues/glbt/details.cfm?id=33631">http://www.civilrights.org/issues/glbt/details.cfm?id=33631</A>>:<BR>The
church has branded the law, a pet project of Socialist Prime
Minister<BR>Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, as an unprecedented threat to
Christian<BR>civilization [!!!].<BR>Concord <BR>Monitor<<A
href="http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050719/REPOSITORY/507190316/1037/NEWS04">http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050719/REPOSITORY/507190316/1037/NEWS04</A>>:<BR>Although
numerous countries today recognize some form of same-sex<BR>partnership, the
Spanish law goes beyond most because it eliminates all<BR>legal distinction
between heterosexual and homosexual marriages. A gay<BR>married couple has
all the same rights as a straight married couple,<BR>including the right to
adopt children. A similar law exists in the<BR>Netherlands, and one is
pending in Canada.<BR>Zapatero says the law will help transform Spain into a
new and "decent<BR>society."His agenda also includes plans to liberalize
divorce, abortion and<BR>stem-cell research. But the church is incensed,
saying the very definition<BR>of family is being destroyed.<BR>Some of the
opponents of gay marriage said they don't mind legislation<BR>recognizing
civil unions for homosexuals. They draw the line, however, at<BR>giving it a
status equivalent to the marriage of man and woman.<BR>The issue has roiled
debate in a number of countries, including the United<BR>States. The Bush
administration is promising to fight the kind of same-sex<BR>unions that a
number of jurisdictions have
enacted.<BR><BR>_________________________________________________________________<BR>Is
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