In light of the recent coverage of the gay marriage ban again being attempted in Iowa, and the KKK’s rally in support of the ban, please consider this:
Self-proclaimed conservatives standing against same-sex civil unions or “gay marriage” aren’t necessarily supported by conservative philosophy.
(Please read on. It’s brief.)
Same-sex civil unions create households, foster stability, and promote longevity (just as marriage does for heterosexuals), all which make for a more productive society. That’s why more Fortune 500 companies than ever offer same-sex domestic partner benefits.
It is not conservative to foster individualism by providing state-backed disincentives for mutual, lifelong, committed relationships between two people (i.e., legally forcing people to be single!); or to want any law-abiding citizen to remain alone and isolated instead of in partnership; or to codify exclusions from helpful rights and protections for an entire class of productive (and potentially more productive) citizens—especially in a functioning, capitalist republic.
No, such things aren’t conservative; they are just meddlesome and just mean-spirited: two things that aren’t conservative and, I hope, aren’t Iowan.
YOUR CALL TO ACTION:
Please consider writing something like the above in your own words to editors of local papers in states where ban votes (legislative or popular) or ban-related petition drives or lawsuits are occuring 2006: California, Alabama, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Virginia, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, and (lawsuits in the following) California, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Washington state.
I think Iowa and California, where there are both vote or petition actions and lawsuits, might prove particularly key. In Iowa, some moderate GOP state senators (and, I suspect, some GOP state representatives) have come out against the ban. They need to be encouraged.