[2012-Sep-12] Agitated about gay marriage

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pjdelport
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[2012-Sep-12] Agitated about gay marriage

Post by pjdelport »

Passenger: I don't see why people get so agitated about gay marriage. It's just symbolic. Those people can live together already.
As one of thousands of binational couples who are forced to leave the US because of DOMA, I feel compelled to point out that we can't live together already. Many people don't realize this.

As a South African, i can visit my US fiance—we can even get married in one one of the states that allow it—but i cannot stay in the country for more than 6 months at a time, and i cannot gain permanent residency or citizenship as a spouse. To the federal government, i'm only a tourist, and non-heterosexual couples are nothing but legal strangers. We don't get to sit at the back of the bus: we have to leave the country.

(For more information about this problem, see Stop the Deportations.)

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Lethal Interjection
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Re: [2012-September-12] Agitated about gay marriage

Post by Lethal Interjection »

pjdelport wrote:
Passenger: I don't see why people get so agitated about gay marriage. It's just symbolic. Those people can live together already.
As one of thousands of binational couples who are forced to leave the US because of DOMA, I feel compelled to point out that we can't live together already. Many people don't realize this.

As a South African, i can visit my US fiance—we can even get married in one one of the states that allow it—but i cannot stay in the country for more than 6 months at a time, and i cannot gain permanent residency or citizenship as a spouse. To the federal government, i'm only a tourist, and non-heterosexual couples are nothing but legal strangers. We don't get to sit at the back of the bus: we have to leave the country.

(For more information about this problem, see Stop the Deportations.)
Ummmm... You raise an interesting point that is both valid and not well known.
Somehow this doesn't make this post any less preachy, out of place, and nearly spambotterriffic.

Guest

Re: [2012-September-12] Agitated about gay marriage

Post by Guest »

Not your best work, guys, but I guess they can't all be home runs.

cwjakesteel
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Re: [2012-September-12] Agitated about gay marriage

Post by cwjakesteel »

Wouldn't you say that you're a "special case"?

gemeric

Re: [2012-September-12] Agitated about gay marriage

Post by gemeric »

Frankly, I wouldn't care about sitting at the back of the bus. It does get the same stops.

Maze1125
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Re: [2012-September-12] Agitated about gay marriage

Post by Maze1125 »

gemeric wrote:Frankly, I wouldn't care about sitting at the back of the bus. It does get the same stops.
But would you care about being forced to the back of the bus based upon an arbitrary disapproval of yourself?

TheFreq

Re: [2012-September-12] Agitated about gay marriage

Post by TheFreq »

BITING POLITICAL COMMENTARY HERE ON SMBC COMICS

Some Guy Named Steve

Re: [2012-September-12] Agitated about gay marriage

Post by Some Guy Named Steve »

You know, the first time I read the article I thought the passenger was complaining about people protesting against gay marriage. Try reading the comic again with that perspective.

magnetoo
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Re: [2012-September-12] Agitated about gay marriage

Post by magnetoo »

Some Guy Named Steve wrote:You know, the first time I read the article I thought the passenger was complaining about people protesting against gay marriage. Try reading the comic again with that perspective.
Yes, that's what I thought too - perhaps it's because of being Canadian, where same-sex marriage has been legal for years and agitators would be against it. It took me a while to work out what was going on.

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pjdelport
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Re: [2012-September-12] Agitated about gay marriage

Post by pjdelport »

Lethal Interjection wrote: Somehow this doesn't make this post any less preachy, out of place, and nearly spambotterriffic.
Sorry, that's not the intent. I've been an SMBC fan for years; this is just the first thing that prompted me to post here.
cwjakesteel wrote: Wouldn't you say that you're a "special case"?
How do you count special cases? If it's by number, there are somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 binational couples like us, in the US and abroad.

(To interpret your question more generally: The stated purpose of DOMA is to turn non-heterosexual couples into a legal exception; so in that sense, we are a special case, even though we don't want to be.)
magnetoo wrote: Yes, that's what I thought too - perhaps it's because of being Canadian, where same-sex marriage has been legal for years and agitators would be against it.
It's the same here in South Africa.

We're the lucky ones: I can't imagine the impossible situation faced by couples where neither country recognizes their marriage. No bus for them.

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Edminster
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Re: [2012-September-12] Agitated about gay marriage

Post by Edminster »

pjdelport wrote:How do you count special cases? If it's by number, there are somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 binational couples like us, in the US and abroad.
Assuming the most generous interpretation (binational couple, both live in the US, 100.000, counting each person individually) that puts you at %0,08 of the married population (again, just in the US). You are the same amount of Indians living in Mozambique, proportionally.

Seems special to me :P

That's not to say you do not deserve the same rights, I'm just pointing out that actually you are pretty special :)
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mathmannix
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Re: [2012-September-12] Agitated about gay marriage

Post by mathmannix »

Maze1125 wrote:
gemeric wrote:Frankly, I wouldn't care about sitting at the back of the bus. It does get the same stops.
But would you care about being forced to the back of the bus based upon an arbitrary disapproval of yourself?
Seems like some people should be happy they are allowed on the bus at all...

gemeric

Re: [2012-September-12] Agitated about gay marriage

Post by gemeric »

Maze1125 wrote:
gemeric wrote:Frankly, I wouldn't care about sitting at the back of the bus. It does get the same stops.
But would you care about being forced to the back of the bus based upon an arbitrary disapproval of yourself?
I don't see any difference.

Eumesmopo

Re: [2012-September-12] Agitated about gay marriage

Post by Eumesmopo »

Reading the comic again while replacing "gay marriage" with "interracial marriage" and pretending it is set in the 50's. It's pretty funny.

Fartonato

Re: [2012-Sep-12] Agitated about gay marriage

Post by Fartonato »

I prefer a normal healthy relationship between a man and a woman.

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