Bill makes Iowa marriage law gender neutral

McCoy statement about the economy reminds me of the economic studies that were done in at attempt to quantify the increased revenues from marriage equity. If I remember correctly, the numbers were in the 10s of millions for a state that has equal civil marriage but is touched by several states with restricted civil marriage.

Since less than two percent of the U.S. population identifies as homosexual, I don't see how legalizing same-sex marriage could be a boon to any economy, especially if every state in the Union is doing it.

The gay lobby is notorious for fudging the numbers and making up 'facts' - I wouldn't expect the economic impact study to be any different.

Marriages cost money, Peggy. And spending money creates tax revenue. And the actual number of gays/lesbians/bisexuals is closer to the 3-5% range, based on the latest scientific estimates.

The study you rant about was not conducted by any agency known as "the gay lobby". It was actually conducted by a an economic organization. Conspiracy theories are not evidence.

Can you please cite your source for that 3-5% statistic?

As with any somewhat subject scientific statistic, the best estimate likely tends to be an average of the available data and surveys. Surveys that ask respondents about their sexual attraction range from 5-10%, which includes the controversial Kinsey studies. Then there are the studies that ask about sexual behavior, which seem to be in the 1-5% range, which include The Janus Report on Sexual Behavior and The Social Organization of Sex: Sexual Practices in the United States. Since sexual orientation exists regardless of the behavior, figures on attraction should generally be used. Many of the studies in this area have been shown to have controversial samples, and therefor in many places you'll find the upper range of the behavior studies cited.
One might also suggest that you visit your local library's psychology or sociology section for more information on such statistics.

"The controversial Kinsey studies" have long since been discredited AND they were done in 1949, so they couldn't possibly be valid. Right?

Go Senator McCoy, Go!

Marriage Equity is on it's way to Iowa!

Compare and contrast; one of my high school english teachers drilled that into my head.
Compare and contrast: Slave rights and gay rights; the contrasts are easy, the comparisons are profound. Slaves could not get legally married either. They could not create and sign contracts, and what is marriage mostly (legally speaking) but a huge contract with thousands of rights and responsibilities.
Navanethem Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights spoke there last year saying, "That just like apartheid laws that criminalized sexual relations between different races, laws against homosexuality are increasingly becoming recognized as anachronistic and inconsistent both with international law and with traditional values of dignity, inclusion, and respect for all."
Apartheid: A system of laws applied to one category of citizens in order to isolate them and keep them from having privileges and opportunities given to all others.
Stop gay apartheid.

You're not seriously comparing blacks to homosexuals, are you?

There is no 'gay gene' - but that doesn't also mean that persons with Same-Sex Attraction "choose" their condition.

There are many factors that enter into the equation but it's also been proven that therapy has proven successful among persons with SSA.

"Therapy" is not supported by any major medical, psychological, or sociological organization in the United States. In fact, most scientists believe that this is actually physically and emotionally destructive. This is why many such "therapeutic" facilities have lost their ability to dispense medicine. You will just not find much evidence to back up your claims in any of the scientific, peer-reviewed literature.

In the early 70's, therapists treating homosexuality as a disorder - with significant success, I might add - became the target of the militant gay lobby.

As author and supporter of the gay agenda, Ronald Bayer, put it, the status of homosexuality ceased to be a psychiatric problem and became "a political question" requiring "a political analysis."

Bayer himself revealed how gay activists pressured the American Psychiatric Assoc. to remove homosexuality as a diagnosis from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) - THE handbook for mental health professionals.

In 1970 and 1971, gay activists protested noisily and disrupted the APA's annual meetings, shouting down speakers and accusing therapists of oppressing them.

Therapists successful in treating persons with SSA held their ground and provided legitimate studies to back up their claims; one psychiatrist argued that the declassification of homosexuality was NOT COMPASSIONATE but would create "MORE DESPAIR THAN HOPE."

Nevertheless, in 1973 the APA caved to the pressure and removed homosexuality from its DSM.

Persons with SSA have been sold out by the militant gay lobby which offers no hope, no way out . It's sad.

"Persons with SSA have been sold out by the militant gay lobby which offers no hope, no way out."

No "way out" is required.
As you might have noted, you talked about anecdotes from the 1970s. This is now 2009. Please cite some recent scientific studies. "Cite" means provide links to the sources of your claims. As you may have noted, 30 years has passed, and the APA has maintained their position.

Your language is indicative of your dishonesty.

I did not "rant", nor did I provide "anecdotes."

Here's the name of the aforementioned study once again: "Homosexuality: A Psychoanalytic Study of Male Homosexuals," published by Irving Bieber and associates in 1963.

The date of the study, unless science subsequently DISPROVES the results (which it hasn't), is irrelevant.

Well you can chose to believe what you want regarding my honesty. That says more about you and what you want to believe than it does about me.

More recent scientific studies have occurred. If they had not, your 1963 study might have had more validity.

More scientific studies have occurred. Yes, but they seem to be automaticall discounted just because the APA removed homosexuality from its DSM. Political correctness trumps science.

Would you like to discuss the studies of Simon Levay (1991) or Dean Hamer (1993), both self-identified gay men whose findings have been debunked?

I hear their studies are favorites of those who claim there is a 'gay gene.'

My moniker is what comes from bugmenot, so don't blame me.

Also, has the entire human genome been mapped? No? Ok, thanks.

What Peggy and so many others do not understand is this is not to give "special rights" to anyone but to allow ALL Iowans to have the same rights. Currently we are discriminating against the GLBT community. My marriage is in no way made better or worse by allowing others to marry. It is time we offer equal rights to all. Discrimination against anyone does nothing to protect my marriage.

So far the only "special rights" are those afforded to heterosexual christians. It seems as if their interpretation of christian doctrine gets to overtake the liberty guarantees of our founding principles and our constitution.

Persons with SSA are just as free to marry as any other qualified adult in this country! What are you talking about?

What is SSA; Social Security Administration?

No, they're not. Sh.....

Yes they are.

So are black people. Why would they want to marry white people? Gosh, stupid special rights! </ignorant sarcasm>

Preach is the right word. No science and statistical facts coming from her.

Buy a book, earlyturd (nice moniker). There are oodles of studies out there to debunk the usual gay myths. There is no gay gene and there never will be.