to feel despair at the gay marriage vote

I think it is probably true that "marriage" – adult pair bonding of some sort – is one of the first and main building blocks of our society.

Doesn't bother me when people go off in a childish huff. We still had a good discussion. Thanks, mollie.

Well, I suppose we must concede it was certainly the foundation of the good old laws of property - a husband owned everything, his wife, her fortune, the children - and woe betide her if she stepped out of line. I think our society is a hell of a lot better without that kind of foundation.

Evidently marriage is the foundation of our society joan... an interesting proposition for a debate.
But are you really pining for mollie to return to debate - I think she had firmly made up her mind before opening the issue. Sometimes people start AIBU threads in the hope of getting support for their views. If it doesn't happen then why would they stick around?

I'm a bit frustrated with Mollie: she dropped a bomb against gay marriage and departed in a pre-emptive huff.

I would like some feedback from our arguments, but it ain't gonna happen. Her forum name suggests she's three years younger than me ( i was born 1945), or perhaps 20 years: we early and later baby boomers, and many pre-baby boomers knew how to question everything, and change what we didn't like. We refused to be brainwashed by the status quo. We were happy to see anti-gay laws vanish and the law removing itself from the bedrooms of consenting adults. We are broad minded and open to new ideas.

But Mollie65 asks:
Am I being unreasonable to feel despair at the gay marriage vote, so I will sign off permanently: cannot find common ground with those who are so ecstatic about this undermining of a foundation of our society.

I'm not sure anyone is ecstatic; just a sort of quiet satisfaction than another injustice is about to vanish. And as for undermining the foundation of our society - what foundation? I just don't understand. Is discrimination a foundation of our society? I don't think so. Who does gay marriage hurt? No-one that I can imagine.

Grrrrrrrrr

Indeed Ariadne and he used that very word on another thread, but in big shouty capitals.

Oh, he's back again with the salacious comments...

Hi Riverwalk..`bums and tums`from my neighbour `Hunter`..well Riverwalk believe it or not I happen to be a shy retiring type of person and could not envisage myself engaging a lady/ladies in such public places besides which I do my exersising in private . Worth a thought though!

Maybe you should check out 'bums & tums' classes at your local gym - Hunter says the ladies there are very amiable, not sure of their ages though.

messenger not sure why you don't just join a specialist agency.

Personally I don`t have a problem with homosexuality as I am very heterosexual and each to his or her own.By and large homosexuals don`t bother anyone who is not of their `faith` so I don`t have an issue with it.
As a septuagenarian male I must confess to a `liking` for ladies who are of a much more advanced age than myself if only I could find such a lady.

I am!!!

#iftherestwowaystotakeapost

How to confuse a Granny part 1.

Homosexuality was not mentioned in our family! However, a cousin of my father's was what was then known as 'a confirmed bachelor'. He lived alone though and was a distinguished educationalist. His sister, a teacher, lived, till the day she died, with another woman; their names were always bracketed together just as married couples' names are; and I'm sure they were more than 'just good friends'.

Just about to ask the same. I have no particular reason to think it but always assumed you were here in UK, j08?

petallus! That was deliberate! #causing confusion

I meant the thing I linked to is in the US.

Eh? What? Crossed thread. J0 is American?

Just been reading in our local rag of a pair of emperor penguins (both male) who have been in a loving relationship for nine years and even raised a chick (surrogate?) and that 10% of western gulls are homosexual. My friend acquired her very well bred west highland terrier because he was no good for a stud dog - he was gay. It seems homosexuality is quite common in animals. Why should we be any different?

You're never an American!!

Are you in the U S?

We haven't got anything like this over here have we? (In the US)

When was that Rose? Very enlightened of him if it was in the 40s/50s.

My dad's favourite sister was a staunch/very sincere Catholic, born in 1910. She battled all her young life with the realisation that she was gay - and in the end had a massive breakdown and committed suicide when she was in her early 40s. I heard many relatives say that if she couldn't abstain, death was the best alternative. One my my nieces is gay (my dad's sister would have been her great, great aunt. She is also gay - but as a committed Catholic has made the choice to be celibate. I admire her sticking with what her religion dictates, and yet feel it is so sad that she should be denied the comfort of a partner.

When I was a young girl I had a conversation with my Dad about Gay people, just a light conversation, nothing heavy. He was quite a well travelled person and I wanted his opinion on gay people as I had just started to learn that there were gay people in the world.

My Dad explained that he knew a gay man that was ashamed that he was gay and would never show it and always hid the fact that he was gay, my Dad said that he felt very sorry for this man that was living a tortured life, he said that being gay is not a matter of choice.

When my mother told my father he was going to be a grandfather. He said ' silly b******s they might have waited'
He thought she meant my brother who was engaged rather than me who'd been married for 5years