How does having the right to marry someone lead to polygamy? People who marry are committing themselves to one another. What's next with you? beastiality? Oh, how about recruiting? Yeah, I've got a lot of toaster ovens!! You are so parroting what has been said for years. Know one thing... you will never stop us from loving each other.

Asking the president of Chick-Fil-A or anyone else to give someone equal rights implies they are theirs to give. Everyone needs to stop trying to deny others the rights they deserve!

^^^ BIGOT ^^^

Adam C Miller You have lost your sense oh humor (It was actually pretty funny)

Jerk

I was joking Jean

Fantastic!

So what? Do you want a star on your forehead now? Kissing someone is certainly not newsworthy. Why don't you spend your time contributing more to society. Go visit a nursing home, there are plenty of lonely people there who would love to have someone to talk to.

Again, I was joking...

@Mike, why do you assume that those of us who support & protest for civil rights have no other social or political concerns? I know I do, & I'm willing to bet that others like me do, too. Just because we care about equal rights doesn't mean we don't also care about (& act on) issues like poverty.

Thanks Earl. We are doing a nice job and you need to learn from this: we will not back down!

Of course not, Patty. The gay war machine is on the attack.

It's funny to watch them try so hard to be angry. Heh.

Who's running against him?

Patty - be careful with your (erroneous) assumptions. There are many gay Christians - no "LGBT vs Christian" gap there! There are also many Christian denominations and straight Christian individuals that DO support marriage equality. Assuming all Christians believe the same is as bad as assuming all homosexuals believe the same, which simply promotes an "us vs them" mentality where dialogue cannot occur. No one ever changed another person's mind through hate. Both sides needs to remember this.

Hey Patty, stop assuming and embarrassing yourself with unintelligent statements! I'm gay, Catholic, and against gay marriage. I'm not selfish enough to think that society must change the definition of what marriage has been for centuries.

I have Gay Christian family members.. you obviously don't speak for them lol

Hi, Patty. I work for a community of faith that is very much in favor of equality - & we work with a number of Christians, both individually & organizationally, who are, as well. I think it's safer to say that issues like this further divide the civil rights community & the evangelical community - not Christians as a whole. There are a number of compassionate, supportive Christians out there!

I am assuming from your comments ("'your' churches") that personally you are not Christian. But again, you are creating a false divide with the labels you chose to use. You and I are on the same side, so don't come out swinging at me and other Christians like me - straight and gay alike - who have a completely different opinion and perspective that the people who hold views with which you disagree.

What church were you a member of and booted from?

That really means so much. We appreciated all the honks and waves we received! :)

Richard-
Very well said. I also feel the President of Chick-fil-A has a right to say and believe what he wants. But when he contributes the company's money to hate groups, that is when I decide to spend my money elsewhere.

WE? have deleted a few comments from this article, or YOU have? So much for free speech!!!!!!!!!!

Wait...why do I need to ACCEPT something I don't believe in because I want to live according to the Bible???!! Doesn't that take away my rights? God has given EVERYONE a choice in how they choose to live their lives but this doesn't mean I must ACCEPT gay "marriage". They should call it something else in my opinion because God called a union between a MAN and a WOMAN marriage. Homosexuality does not fall in that definition.
I love people of all nationalities, cultures and beliefs...I just don't participate in, nor accept some lifestyles. IT'S MY CHOICE.

Your dog? Really? You think two consenting adults is the same as marrying your dog? GET SOME NEW MATERIAL, YOU 1970's BIGOT. Yes, 'bigot' -- you just earned it right there. I believe you'll find the same things were said about interracial marriage. YOUR DOG. I pity your dog, frankly.

Using your dog to push your point of view is not helping your cause. It just reaffirms to the rest of modern society the desperate tactics the intolerant are trying to make to prevent two human beings from marrying one another. And by the way, society is starting to accept it more and more....you're on the losing side of history.

Haha I love that line..."God called a union between a MAN and a WOMAN marriage." Where? From what fairy tale is that line taken? And why do I have to believe that as the only truth just because you say so? Have you personally read the Bible? And why is that book the last word on everything? Really, there were many types of "marriage" existing long before it was written. I just don't get what you're afraid of, to let people who love each other, commit to each other as well. I don't really care what you choose to believe, but I DO object to you trying to force me to abide by your beliefs. I think it's so hysterical that certain Christians try to claim that they are being attacked and persecuted for their beliefs...it's just ridiculous, seeing as they are always the ones trying to make everyone follow their religion (prayer in schools, anyone?). Painesville, I am not taking away any of your rights to believe in what you want; just know that I also have those rights, and the same freedom to believe in whatever I want also!

And remember -- even if you round up all the gays and exterminate them in death camps, you'll just make more. YOU are the ones having the gay babies. Just sayin' ...

just remember that if everyone became gay ..global warming would be gone in a generation

I wish you and your dog many years of happiness together. Poor dog....

I guess I'm left wondering how a word that has meant happy in the past now describes some of the angriest people around.

Maybe it's like calling a bald guy curly...

Earl, you'd be angry, too, if you paid the same taxes as the majority but were a second-class citizen with fewer rights & privileges. DAMN RIGHT, I'M ANGRY. I am not a second-class citizen.

You have no fewer privileges.

A heterosexual man cannot marry another man.
A homosexual man cannot marry another man.

See, we have the same rights.

Thank you, Bubba Earl.

Is that from the Book of Beavis or the Book of Butthead?

Sorry Tracy. It's just the way the law is written.

It's fact.

Like I said, Tom, you and people like you are on the wrong side of history. You can go on and on all you want. I take comfort in knowing that people like you who are intolerant of others because of their lifestyle are a dying breed. Good luck with your cause!

OK Dan, that's great. but are you going to reply or even acknowledge anything in the posting to which you are replying? You say I am "on the wrong side of history". What the hell does that mean? Are you really going to bring up the psychotic Roman emperor Nero's marriage to a slave? What the hell do you mean? Are you going to respond to my claim of hypocrisy at all? Will you at least address the fallacy that you claim exists in my argument? Or will you follow suit with the others and simply label me intolerant and a dying breed?

Tom, your post doesn't make much sense, so there's not much to say. You say that I am hoping that you will just stop your ranting and go away. I say don't go....you're actually helping the cause, but not in the way you assume. You bring up the managers offering free water to the protesters.....ok, and??? What the hell are you talking about?

If you don't know what it means to be on the wrong side of history, I will have to explain. Society is progressing whether you like it or not. SSM is going to happen eventually nation-wide, and you will lose your battle....that's what it means. The younger generations are more and more progressive in their beliefs with regards to SSM, so your generation and its outdated beliefs are dying off. Get it?

Bottom line: SSM does not affect my marriage with my wife. I don't know why it affects yours!

Here are some links Dan:

http://m.yahoo.com/w/legobpengine/news/blogs/lookout/chick-fil-kiss-164759658.html?orig_host_hdr=news.yahoo.com&.intl=US&.lang=en-US

http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/312377

Today's self-titled progressives are on the wrong side of history Dan. In every protest, they always come out looking foolish. All of their grand plans for a great society bring everyone to ruin. And, they always blatantly ignore their own hypocrisy, and insist their way is the only way.

jean your point is one of the few that makes any sense

Being gay just *is* ... it's not a "lifestyle". Gay people's "lifestyles" are as varied as any other group in society. Do you harp on about "the black lifestyle" or the "tall lifestyle"?

As for "promoting", no one needs to "promote" gayness. Again -- it just *is*. It's a facet of nature and will continue no matter what you do. Your child is gay or not -- nothing you do will change that -- you might psychologically damage or shame your child but if he or she is gay then that's the just way it is. And if you convince them to pretend to be straight, all you're really doing is ruining not only his or her life but the life of his or her eventual wife or husband (ie, married to a gay person pretending to be straight). How does that help anyone or benefit society?

Finally, TOM -- you really need to get some new material or just shut the frack up. "Marrying your dog", "promoting", "the gay lifestyle", etc ... this is not the 1970s. Society has moved on. Please catch up. And if you want to try to be funny or clever, at least come up with something new & actually amusing.

We've deleted some comments for use of profane language. Please keep it clean and respectful.

"If the LGBT community keeps identifying itself by the act" - Which act is that? What the hell are you talking about?

"[H]ow the hell are we supposed to explain all this to our six-year-olds?" - What is "all this"? You don't really explain "all this" of any relationship -- straight or gay - to a six-year-old. I certainly hope you don't talk about sex with your wife, girlfriend, mistress or [in your case] abused dog with a six-year-old child!

When/if addressing questions about a same-sex couple, why not just say something like: "Bob & Michael are a couple who love each other very much and share a life just like mommie & daddy."?

Not wildly difficult or complicated, is it?

Richard, Do you have a reading disability? Again, the LGBTs forced the issue by adopting the connotative word "GAY", which forces the question, what does gay mean? which forces the question, "Shouldn't ALL people be happy?" which forces the question, "What makes a person "gay" as opposed to a person who is simply happy?" which then forces a whole can of worms that I simply don't want to get into with a six year old. Obviously you don't have kids and don't know how inquisitive they can be. If you want to send me a link on how to explain same-sex marriage to my kids, great. I'd be glad to read it after you read the multitude of literature that has been written as to why this issue is tearing apart the very fabric of American society!

Tom, call me a homosexual if you like -- that is fine. "Gay" is the term that evolved into our modern dialect. I'm sorry if you'd have preferred "faggot" or "dyke". It is not my responsibility and is not remotely relevant to anything being discussed here.

You are wasting my time and going off on wild, unimportant tangents about words & etymology -- and I don't doubt one bit that it is intentional.

Why "gay"? It's not for me to say. Black people are not "black" -- they are brown. Would you like to shove that distraction into this debate as well?

" ... tearing apart the very fabric of American society!"

I BLAME THE WELSH!

It makes about as much sense as anything YOU are saying at this point.

Society evolves & changes. Always has. If it did not, people like you would still be burning "witches", hanging innocent black men from trees and keeping women "in the kitchen where they belong".

If nations don't evolve & adjust, they fall. You see yourself as wildly clever -- get yourself a history book or a political science book and see for yourself.

Richard, I'm sorry if you read something hateful in my posts. Actually, I'm not, because nothing hateful was intended. I have no hate in my heart. There are obviously some here that do, as evident by the post deletions of yesterday (notice none of mine have been deleted). i am actually a very amiable, non-intrusive person, and really do not necessarily object to SSM. All I'm saying is, be prepared for some resistance, and if you keep resorting to ad hominem attacks (BIGOT, et al) you will get nowhere. My intention was to play devil's advocate here, nothing more. It's obvious that the LGBT community needs to hone its message (and maybe grow up a little) before it realizes its full potential. By the way, when it has achieved normalcy, what then?

Draw the line at "two consenting adults".

Two people of the age of consent committing to a shared life together is not a threat to anyone -- it is actually of a HUGE benefit to society.

The right of civil marriage for same-sex couples *IS* going to happen -- I suggest you deal with it and catch up with the rest of the modern world.

You do NOT have to like it. It does NOT have to happen in your place of "worship". It need NOT be sanctioned by the imaginary deity of your choice. All of that is just fine!

But as far as civil law, taxation, benefits, rights & privileges go, I assure you, again, that legal marriage rights for all adult couples will become law.

[NOTE: I really hate the term "gay marriage". It's not a gay marriage -- it's a marriage. I won't "gay marry" any more than I "gay park my car" or "gay clean the house".]

Great, Richard, Then tell me when polygamy, inter-sibling, and inter-species marriage will become law (with the approval of the so-tolerant left and their well-funded media, of course) and we can have a drink the achievement of our great society. Again, I question you r reading skills. Never in my posts did I use the term "Gay Marriage". Again I say, that word has been stolen from the English language and is now a leftist label and taboo to everyone else!!! Man + Dog

Tom -- Most people can't be bothered to 'debate' someone going on about marrying his dog! You failed to realise you lost the debate when you went down that road.

Also, most people probably don't have time to comment on Patch 24/7 -- I have to do my "gay chores", wash my "gay dishes", do my "gay laundry" and watch my "gay Netflix" -- not to mention the heap of "gay kale" I need to wash & shred.

Classic narassistic tendencies with a pinch of melodrama-- or, as The Magnificent Madame M might shrill-- "Drama Queen!" Just move to West Hollywood...nobody will even notice. It's sunny, permissive, not staunchly-dreary Ohio, and you'll just be. "Never say never." Reductio ad dog-absurdum was rather clever; much more interesting than the other angst-- a hijack like no other. Although, in all fairness, you weren't bad either-- classic in fact. That being said, gotta run and do my not-gay shopping before my gay and not-gay friends arrive at my not-completely-gay, non-denominational, agnostic, atheist Sunday barbecue, On the menu-- eunuch short ribs, a celibate garden salad, asexual corn-on-the-cob, all washed down with icy cold Macho Man IPA's-- 6.2%-- and perhaps a few Cabana Boy Rum Sunsets. Later, instead of using the vomitorium to make our escape from this Theater of the Absurd, or relaxing in the steamy comfort and dark anonymity of The Baths, we're going to instead watch Curiosity descend onto the Mars' surface in search of not-gay or gay life-- perhaps both-- or, at the least, evidence of such. (Humorless people need not reply)

Non-humans cannot enter into legal contracts -- marriages included. That is why marrying your dog is less legitimate in legal terms than marrying another man.

Marriages under civil law and biblical law have been "redefined" and have evolved many times throughout history and including America -- I encourage you to re-read my posts and see the links I've already suggested on that precise issue.

At the risk of garnering the label BIGOT, blacks at one point were prohibited from entering into contracts; for the past 150 years or so it's been no problem. Does that mean there is still hope for me and my dog? If you ask me "how can you compare human rights to dog rights?" then take it up with Sarah McLaughlin, et al. Did you read my post addressing the B in LGBT? BI means TWO, right? Don't these folks have marriage rights as well?

Honestly, I cannot afford a SmartPhone. I don't get the straight people marriage benefits & tax breaks you do.

Richard, under current tax law, unless as a couple you have a child tax credit, there are no tax benefits; in fact, married couples who file jointly above a certain income bracket may lose more money than otherwise. Also, my employer recently revoked the full reimbursement for the family plan option as they found out my wife took a buyout from her job's health plan. I have no doubt the cause is a combination of increased same-sex health plans and Obamacare. Thank you all so much!