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News & ArtsFriday, January 23, 2009
Hetero Every Child Deserves a Mother and a Father
Posted by Dan Savage on Fri, Jan 23, 2009 at 1:35 PM
Tuscola County prosecutors have charged a former state representative candidate and his wife with abusing two children.
The criminal complaint against Phillip W. Hardy, 46, and his wife, Sheila K. Hardy, 42, both of Clifford, allege the couple “failed to provide food and clothing for the children and locked them in a room, left the children home alone for hours at a time.” Prosecutors also allege the couple denied the children use of a restroom and beat their children.... Hardy previously served as chairman of the Tuscola County Republican Party, as well as chairman of former presidential candidate Duncan Hunter’s Michigan campaign in 2008.
Duncan Hunter on the issues: supports amending the US Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, voted to ban adoptions by same-sex couples. And here's what Duncan Hunter believes...
Every child deserves both a father and a mother. Studies demonstrate the utmost importance of the presence of a child's biological parents in a child's happiness, health and future achievements. If we chip away at the institution which binds these parents and the family together, the institution of marriage, you begin to chip away at the future success of that child.
Yes, we wouldn't want to let the gays marry, lest their marriages "chip away" at the institution that binds Phillip and Sheila Hardy to their (allegedly) abused, naked, starving, and imprisoned children.
4
A stupid argument. I am 100% for gay marriage (shit, I was in one as a best man), but singling out horrible parents to make your point is extremely weak.
Really like your writing, Dan, but this is weak.
Really like your writing, Dan, but this is weak.
5
Even by tortured-logic standards, Hunter's "reasoning" is laughable: just exactly HOW, pray tell, does allowing same-sex couples to marry "chip away at the future success of that child", if by "that child" we take it he means "the child of a heterosexual couple whose marriage has somehow been diminished by allowing same-sex couples to marry", as he seems to assert?
What does he expect is going to happen? Straight married couples will suddenly run out en masse, get divorces, and immediately remarry members of the same sex? Because that's the ONLY way I can foresee allowing gays to marry could have ANY impact on the children of married het couples.
What does he expect is going to happen? Straight married couples will suddenly run out en masse, get divorces, and immediately remarry members of the same sex? Because that's the ONLY way I can foresee allowing gays to marry could have ANY impact on the children of married het couples.
6
It would be nice just once to refute their actual claim, that biological parents have the greatest probability to offer a good environment for kids, rather than forever burning down the straw man that they always provide a good environment.
8
@4 & @7 - How is this ineffective? By pointing out these egregious examples, Dan is critiquing the primary argument religious conservatives use against gay couples, which sets opposite sex parents as the primary need of children. It's absurd to realize that awful people can become parents, while those who may be very loving and nurturing parents are not allowed simply because they are gay.
9
I thought of this series when I read yesterday's NYT article about the mother and father who denied medical care to their diabetic 11-year-old daughters. Strange that no one would consider denying the right to adopt children to insanely fundamentalist Christians.
10
I agree: In all the years you've been posting these, Dan, this one's absolutely the best. What a fucking two-faced hypocrite.
11
@ 8
Setting positive examples goes a lot farther than pointing out the bad exceptions. After all, gay parenting is hardly in the majority standing. We don't afford rights thanks to the vitriolic fingerpointing at those whose majority status will, like it or not, decide the fate of the minority.
Setting positive examples goes a lot farther than pointing out the bad exceptions. After all, gay parenting is hardly in the majority standing. We don't afford rights thanks to the vitriolic fingerpointing at those whose majority status will, like it or not, decide the fate of the minority.
12
I saw this is my podunk paper and thought this one was perfect for this sad series of example. Duncan Hunter must be so proud.
14
These fuckin' lousy humans. Parents? fail.
They hate these kids, they don't want them around and clearly don't want to be around them. Duncan Hunter, fuck off.
They hate these kids, they don't want them around and clearly don't want to be around them. Duncan Hunter, fuck off.
15
8
The fact that some hetero parents are deficient
does not mean all hetero parents
(or even any other hetero parents)
are lacking
(unless you are into judging all members of a group based on the actions of a few; aka bigotry)
and it says NOTHING
about the parenting skills of homos
and it says NOTHING about gay marriage.
It is about Dan gloating over the failure of his 'enemies'
(ie; all heterosexuals who have the gall to marry and/or be parents);
and since the stories always involve horrific abuse of children it reveals Dan as a ghoulish gloating rubbernecker gawking and taking delight at the misery of others.
The fact that some hetero parents are deficient
does not mean all hetero parents
(or even any other hetero parents)
are lacking
(unless you are into judging all members of a group based on the actions of a few; aka bigotry)
and it says NOTHING
about the parenting skills of homos
and it says NOTHING about gay marriage.
It is about Dan gloating over the failure of his 'enemies'
(ie; all heterosexuals who have the gall to marry and/or be parents);
and since the stories always involve horrific abuse of children it reveals Dan as a ghoulish gloating rubbernecker gawking and taking delight at the misery of others.
16
I don't think this reveals Dan as a goulish gloating rubbernecker.
I think he is trying to make the point that a heterosexual does not equal or guarantee good parenting. And, he's right.
I think he is trying to make the point that a heterosexual does not equal or guarantee good parenting. And, he's right.
18
But, kim, do you actually think anyone guaranteed that heterosexuals are good parents? I guess my point is that I don't see how you plan on bringing them around on gay marriage if you think of them as being so stupid that they would make such an absurd guarantee.
In fact they are just stupid enough to believe that the odds of good parenting decrease with gay parents or one parent, and that belief is the real target.
In fact they are just stupid enough to believe that the odds of good parenting decrease with gay parents or one parent, and that belief is the real target.
19
16
Strawman.
NO ONE believes all heteros are good parents.
Least of all the people who pushed Prop 8.
Evangelicals, Catholics, Mormons all spend a lot more time and effort on other threats to the family- drugs, divorce, pornography, adultery, etc etc than to gay marriage.
Dan thinks gay marriage is the only issue in the galaxy but to the rest of the world it is a small side battle in a huge war to save the family.
None of Dan's 'enemies' are surprised by the stories he gleefully posts.
They all deal with these kind of tragedies every day in the frontlines of the battle to save the family.
The series is GLOATING.
It is small minded, petty and vicious.
It takes delight in the failure of Dan's ENEMIES (and they are legion- even the gays who are disappointed in Adams will be shunned!!)
The children victims are just incidental collateral damage in Dan's view, the more they suffer THE BETTER THE STORY.
(see Dan's brainless ghoul zombie ditto-heads share his glee:
#1 above-- "This is the best one yet..." see #2, #3 etc)
It is ideological child pornography; make the children cry, make them suffer, the more they suffer THE BETTER THE STORY.
THIS IS THE BEST ONE YET!!!
It is not part of a solution.
If there is anything positive to be said for gay marriage or gay parenting make that case.
Tearing down others does not build you up.
It only diminishes you.
Strawman.
NO ONE believes all heteros are good parents.
Least of all the people who pushed Prop 8.
Evangelicals, Catholics, Mormons all spend a lot more time and effort on other threats to the family- drugs, divorce, pornography, adultery, etc etc than to gay marriage.
Dan thinks gay marriage is the only issue in the galaxy but to the rest of the world it is a small side battle in a huge war to save the family.
None of Dan's 'enemies' are surprised by the stories he gleefully posts.
They all deal with these kind of tragedies every day in the frontlines of the battle to save the family.
The series is GLOATING.
It is small minded, petty and vicious.
It takes delight in the failure of Dan's ENEMIES (and they are legion- even the gays who are disappointed in Adams will be shunned!!)
The children victims are just incidental collateral damage in Dan's view, the more they suffer THE BETTER THE STORY.
(see Dan's brainless ghoul zombie ditto-heads share his glee:
#1 above-- "This is the best one yet..." see #2, #3 etc)
It is ideological child pornography; make the children cry, make them suffer, the more they suffer THE BETTER THE STORY.
THIS IS THE BEST ONE YET!!!
It is not part of a solution.
If there is anything positive to be said for gay marriage or gay parenting make that case.
Tearing down others does not build you up.
It only diminishes you.
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