America: why is Rick Perry against gay marriage?

Or how come Christianity is employed as a weapon against so many Americans.

As Gallup, a polling firm, discovered in 2002, it's almost impossible to estimate the number of gays in America. The US Census Bureau calculated in 2000 that it's less than 1% of the total population. Yet Gallup found that 21% of men and 22% of women are gay. Indeed, a quarter of all Americans estimate that around 25% of both sexes are homosexual. Best estimates have it that 6% of New Yorkers are gay, for example, and 5.6% of the people in Los Angeles. The proportion is triple that in San Francisco, for clear reasons. Even in the largest Texan city of Houston, 4.4% are believed to be gay.

Whatever the numbers, the voting power, civil rights and human dignity of these people demand recognition and respect.

So what on earth induces right-wing Republicans like Rick Perry to abrogate his responsibility towards such people? If he's against gay marriage he denies them dignity, equality and justice. None of those would have been promoted by the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, the opposite if he were to have existed on earth in the 21st century. But he didn't. He lived in the 1st century, when populations were small, rural, and governments were remote. Tenets of behaviour were enforced to maintain population levels to replace those who died at birth (or in child-birth), young, from incurable disease or in battle. That was a time when life expectancy was short, perhaps averaging only 35 or so. Inevitably marriage, fidelity and children were esential for the effectiveness of societies. Homosexuality in the 1st century was an anomolous and anti-social lifestyle.

But we now live in an over-populated world. In fact, in many respects homosexuality is beneficial to society as it reduces population (on the whole) and enhances economic growth through the dedication of gays in the workplace, unencumbered by the distractions and responsibilities of raising families. Of course, child-bearing is essential for humanity, but most people still have children - despite falling sperm-counts, later marriages, and increasing divorce rates. But productivity is essential to fund the increasing pension bubble as people live longer. So in many ways, gays do us all a favour.

So why is the Texan governor Rick Perry antagonistic towards a harmless lifestyle choice? His stance panders purely to bigotry and ignorance; it fails to enlighten or stimulate equality, and is merely retrogressive and ugly. All people should have equal rights and privileges and take on the same responsibilities in a civilised society: that is why gays should be permitted to marry. Gay marriage ought to be encouraged even, as society cannot criticise promiscuity while it discourages the cementing of lasting relationships.

Governor Perry's stance is not one for a prospective president to adopt, if he's to be taken seriously either by American voters or informed people anywhere.

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