Gay Rights

Transparent Statement:
I am in favor of equal rights. There is no reason not to.

I am not gay, though I do have friends who are. I probably have a lot more friends who are gay than I realize, but I do not care — that is their business, not mine.

I believe that all people should have the right to marry. I used to prefer civil unions over marriage, believing that marriage was about family and children. But the fact is that marriage is just a legal contract. Being married does not mean you are required to have children.

The contract of marriage provides many government benefits, none of which threaten the rights of others. So supporting same-sex marriage is not a big deal to me.

I realize that many object to marriage on religious or moral grounds. And I respect their opinions. But that is not a good enough reason to deny people certain rights.

Transgender Restrooms?

Regarding allowing transgender people to use restrooms associated with their chosen gender, I realize this is controversial as well. I am not qualified to provide an opinion on the decision made by transgender people to live as a different gender, nor do I wish to. I cannot imagine this is an easy decision to make, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt that they feel it is the right decision for them.

For those who have gone through the effort to have the government officially recognize this decision, I feel it is acceptable to let them use the restroom of their chosen gender. I respect the concerns of those who worry that transgender men will illegally use this as a means to use women's restrooms. As a parent, I share that concern. But I do not believe transgender people are child molesters or rapists in disguise.

Notwithstanding the criminal concern, I also understand that this will make some people uncomfortable, even those who favor gay rights. But I feel this is a minor, periodic inconvenience relative to the major obstacles faced every day by transgender people.