No “Moral Disruption” From Same Sex Marriage
The Rainbow Alliance said they agree with Opposition Leader Marc Bean that same sex marriage is inevitable in Bermuda, but “reject all heterosexist assertions that such an event will cause moral disruption.”
Mr Bean recently appeared on a local television show where he said that he feels that gay marriage is inevitable and made comments about civilisation being turned “upside down”.
A spokesperson said, “The Rainbow Alliance of Bermuda would like to acknowledge the respectful manner in which Dr Gibbons and the Seventh Day Adventist Church spoke on the topic of homosexuality during the ISSUES program. They offered open arms to all individuals, which is in-line with the Rainbow Alliance’s focus on providing safe spaces for the LGBTQ community.
“We agree with Marc Bean’s assessment that same sex marriage is inevitable in Bermuda, but reject all heterosexist assertions that such an event will cause moral disruption. The PLP has not yet arrived at a party position.
“The official position of the current government was clarified a few weeks ago by Premier Craig Cannonier, who has stated that marriage equality will not be pursued while he is in power. Premier Cannonier’s leadership is not permanent, and Bermuda will continue to take steps towards equity for all citizens, regardless of sexual orientation.
“Bermuda has a long way to go in addressing the heterosexist and sometimes homophobic attitudes displayed in reaction to the recent Human Rights Act amendment, which will remain a cause that the Rainbow Alliance of Bermuda will campaign for through education and outreach.
“The Rainbow Alliance of Bermuda will continue its focus to provide safe spaces for the LGBTQ community members and allies,” concluded the spokesperson.
Attorney General Mark Pettingill previously spoke on civil partnerships, said in his personal view gay couples not having rights under the law of survivorship is an “abomination,” and said we are going to have to look at how we address that particular issue.
Marriage laws around the world vary with some nations having civil partnerships, some countries legalising same sex marriage [Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Spain etc] while other nations still criminalise homosexuality.
“Premier Cannonier’s leadership is not permanent” .. OUCH!!!
The OBA must be delighted that Marc Bean is their leader.
Much respect to Marc Bean..last of a dying breed.
One can only hope that ignorance and intolerance, of any sort, are a dying breed.
Best news I’ve heard all day…
How much better we will be when all the Bigots die off!
Such hate & intolerance “Balanced Facts”, especially since you seem to be defending a group that claims to fight against such things….
At what point in our lives did we choose to become “straight” and why with all the intolerance would one choose to become gay? If the intension is to infer that gay and lesbian people are crazy you are nuts! With all the unwed folks having babies from different fathers ,single parent families etc one would be foolish to believe that the gay community is the reason , looks like they just WANT to get married and live together in love.
This subject is a distraction from real issues in Bermuda and shocking that ministers are still being so divisive and ramming their personal religious club rules down everyone’s throats , time would be better spend on the REAL social issues on Bermuda ,no votes yet Mr B next .
So how does the world get populated. Even the animals have it right and we are supposed to be smarter!!!!
So what. Plenty of heterosexual couples have no children. And plenty of unmarried people have copious amounts of children. Marriage has absolutely nothing to do with the ability to have children.
So what how many gay couples concieve from their union
And how many heterosexual couples don’t have children?
And how many kids are born out of wedlock?
Marriage has absolutely nothing to do with having children.
I feel sorry for those kids that have to go to school and all their friends know they live at home with their two daddies… Imagine the psychological impact on a child growing up in a household with two gay daddies who are married. What would it be like to live in that household. Gay men tend to be extremely promiscuous it would be a flat out disaster for a child.
And I feel sorry for the kids who don’t know who their Daddy is. They just have a succession of Mom’s latest boyfriends. And thier granny basically bings them up. No father figure at all. That’s a flat out disaster too.
WOW, I can’t believe you actually think you are working in reality.
I will concede the point of concern about the impact of attitudes at school on a child who has parents same sex, and that is relevant as it relates to one generation passing on their bigotry to the next. The sad fact is that there will be children at school who will target those children of same sex couples or ridicule and probably bullying and violence because that is the intolerance they are taught by their parents. However, intolerance must be fought.
As far as living in a same sex household, what few studies there, show that they are no different to mixed sex households, it simple comes down to how you raise your kids. With the right support and encouragement, irregardless of the parental make-up, the children come out better prepared for success in the world.
Now to you last point that gay men are tend to be extremely promiscuous, well that stinks to high hell of prejudicial ignorance. I mean WOW, where I you pull that from, a 1950′s moral right film strip. Gay men are no more promiscuous then straight men. We need to be addressing the issue of how many of our youth are at risk because they don’t have a father figure to look to, and why, well because either mom does know who dad is, or dad was just looking for another tally to prove how much of a man he is and doesn’t want to take reponsibility for the reslts. Heterosexual couples are doing far more damage to the family structure than gay couples old achieve. At least with gay couples adopting, they would be vetted to some degree before getting a child and they can help take in the surplus of child being thrown aside by the increasing irresponsible heterosexual couples.
This is cherrypicking at its finest if gay people are the same as straight what makes you think they will be anybetter at parenting? “Gay men are no more promiscuous then straight men” But according to your biased flawed agenda Gay men and women are always better parents than straight people? And i can tell you as a 23yo whoever grows up in bermuda with two gay parents will be destroyed mentally as they go through school, children are Ruthless.
Marriage has nothing to do with children but the order of historical families is ONE woman and one man uniting to commit to regenerate the human population and even if the structural order of marriage did not occur the same principal of MAN and WOMAN does not change the natural cycle of the human existence!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nope. Plenty if men &women get married and have no intention of having children.
And plenty of single people have children with no thought of getting married.
Marriage has absolutely nothing to do with it.
Plenty of heterosexual people don’t have children. Being gay or heterosexual does not determine whether ir not you have children or not.
In California 60,000 children are adopted and raised by same sex couples. They have the lowest incidence of child abuse, neglect or abandonment and are amongst the highest achievers in any child group (mixed, single parent etc.) Boy, probable best they dont conceive given those statistics! Next?
Source?
Mazumbo, how many Catholic priests have fathered children?
What’s your point?
Even Christian religion does not always set things up for the purpose of having children. The largest Christian religion prevents its priests from marrying.
Over 1500 species have homosexual tendencies. Try to read something before spouting your prejudicial hate please.
So does this justify homosexuality in humans? What other species have a society with laws and a moral standard which is used as a principle or foundation on the basis of what is right and wrong?
I find it offensive to compare humans on a moral issue to other species that never have to justify their actions to other members of their community.
It doesn’t. But if you read the comment in context, you will see that Bermewjan responded to what Mazumbo said earlier:
“So how does the world get populated. Even the animals have it right and we are supposed to be smarter!!!!”
He wasn’t making an argument based on the moral equivalency of animals and humans. Mazumbo was. And Bermewjan was rightfully refuting that.
Totally missed the comment by Mazumbo. Mazumbo statement is not rational.
People often throw other species into the equation (for or against) as if other species are equal to us. So I was quick to comment, but I hope readers understand the context of my comment.
Can you provide the reference to that statement? Furthermore, anything can be described as a homosexual tendency.
You might want to look at one of the biggest issues in the world, overpopulation. At current pace, the human race will have exceeded the Earth’s ability to sustain us before the end of this century. The religious decree of ‘go forth and be fruitful’ had nothing to do with some sort of command from a deity, it was the recognition that if their religion didn’t have the numbers, another religion that did could wipe them out. Fill those pews people, that is what hat is all about. Right now, the world old do with a little less people, especially those who think 3 or more kids are a great idea, frankly that is an environmental hazard.
“overpopulation” is a myth we havent even explored the amazon yet, or the congo, maybe certain areas are overpopulated but the earth can take exponentially more people, and we can easily feed them, America, Europe, China, Russia produce most of the surplus food for the world as they are the only countries who have industrialized/Mechanized agriculture industry, not to mention the recent developments of Genetically modified crops, now whenever they are finished lording over this technology and using it as a geopolitical weapon (food aid), send it to africa the continent with the most arable/productive land we will have far more food than people to feed so don’t always believe what the mainstream media is sensationalizing at the moment.
And if we destroy the amazon to make room for humanity, what do you think that will do to the global environment. You talk of room, scientists and evironmental socialists talk about sustainability. The more we clear the earth to accommodate us, the less the earth is able to sustain us, industrialized and mechanized agriculture included in the equation. GM foods are a great myth, they have yet to create a GM food that can out yield a regular crop. A current state, we do not have the economic ability to transform ourselves to a state of global sustainability, much less the global mental maturity to reach the consensus needed. Overpopulation is very much a reality as is global climate change and these combined pressures are combining to make it hard for us to produce and distribute the food to feed the world population at its current state
@Really how do you think your in this world today? let me guess you had two fish cakes for parents. lol..
@Day Are you really this stupid or did you take lessons?
@Dark Side, since nobody is born that ignorant, I would say that Day took lessons; probably from a preacher. Bigotry is learned, it’s not our natural state.
Most don’t even make their own fish cakes anymore or cook for that matter( that’s a choice) at Eater the supermarkets are so busy keeping up with supply !
Wrong kind of fish cake buddy. You hungry?
LMAWO!!! God is not confusing, People are…
RG have Bean quoted as saying “Historically if you look at the gay rights agenda, at who created it and who financed it, then you will recognise that its purpose is to turn civilisation upside down and upon its head,”
I’d like to know who financed it and why one would conclude the above !!! Some explaining to do…
Make Manna fall from the sky you practitioners of the dark arts…ask His Imperialness Majestyness Hali Salaisness i…turn society who he has judged but judged not another man to lie down with his brethren and brethrened together…yes i…eat some manna…oh, and practice some more dark arts you thieves of the election…stand strong…you will be out of power in 14 months, I , follower of His Mannaness will pull the trigger on it….from the sky…with manna….
The foregoing is parody of a Marc Bean typical speech.
Stand Strong PLP Family…stand strong….
Point 1 – Bean’s speech was about consolidating his own position within the PLP parliamentary caucus, i.e his Gay MPs and those more liberally inclined are being set up to get deselected next time out. Back in Dame Jennifer’s time about 1/3 of PLP MPs were Gay, so this is indeed a surprising about turn.
Point 2 – Regardless of its window dressing, this was a homophobic and intolerant speech. This does not bode well for minorities should Bean ever become Premier.
Concerning your Point 2, your use (as well as many gays) of the word homophobic is wrong on so many levels. Just because someone disagrees with your views doesn’t make them scared of your views. Please explain how minorities would be at a disadvantage should Mr.Bean ever become Premier? The man disagrees with one minority group (gays) & you feel ALL minorities will suffer the same fate?
Point 1 – Bean’s speech was about consolidating his own position within the PLP parliamentary caucus, i.e his Gay MPs and those more liberally inclined are being set up to get deselected next time out. Back in Dame Jennifer’s time about 1/3 of PLP MPs were Gay, so this is indeed a surprising about turn.
Point 2 – Regardless of its window dressing, this was a homophobic and intolerant speech. This does not bode well for minorities should Bean ever become Premier.
Jesus, Bean really is a grade A prick isn’t he?
He is a realist. Accept it.
Mr bean is a sexual racest.
Racism in any form is just plain wrong.
How short are the memories after one gets their equal rights?
If you are a PLP member that just happens to a LGBT, what type of support to you think you will receive from him.
I thought he was suppose to represent all of the people , not just the ones that think like him. God help Bermuda
Huh? You surely are “Puzzled”
Gay is based on physical & mental attraction, not race.
You then bring God into this???
Actually he is just an intelligent BLACK MAN who will not be fooled by your manipulation.
Seem to be me that if God made the earth etc…and then gave us free will which in turn allowed us to breed as many times as we want (thus the massive overpopulation to available resources) then it only makes sense that God itself would create homosexuals which can not breed to counter act his first mistake of giving us free will.
seems very logical that God created homosexual beings to control the population growth. Thus if god created them he must in turn accept them as part of the grand design…
now I don’t actually believe all that of course but I am working with a reading audience that believes in Adam and Eve…..
People who think The Flintstones is a documentary….
LOL. I like that.
Lol! Nice one!
That has got to be the dumbest thought I’ve heard in a long time. I actually laughed after reading that crap.
truthfully, I am right there with you on that statement….
Bean has finally done what many have wanted…finished the plp with that TV broadcast.
Ask yourself a few questions
how many Gays in the plp party?…Look you’ll see!
how many Gays used to vote plp?…Look you’ll see.
BERMUDA NEEDS TO LIVE AND LET LIVE
Its a new world order ….. gone are the days of ‘fire and brimstone’. Those speeches are ineffective at best. People will follow what they feel so long as they are not hurting anyone else. Let the gays have their status, the world is not ending because of them, its the hetero majority that is killing the earth with our (yeah me to) self important lifestyles, values and habits depleting and distroying natural resources
So gays don’t use the very same natural resources????
“The Rainbow Alliance said they agree with Opposition Leader Marc Bean that same sex marriage is inevitable in Bermuda, but “reject all heterosexist assertions that such an event will cause moral disruption.”
Rainbow Alliance, you could not be MORE WRONG.
If you want to talk about gay marriage or gay unions, let’s not waste time theorising about what sort of impact this could have on Bermuda. Let’s instead, look to our neighbors to the North, Canada, who legalised gay marriage several years ago. I wish ALL people who have an interest in this subject would read the attached article, especially the Rainbow Alliance, and them form your own opinion.
This study was conducted by the Witherspoon Institute in New Jersey, and quite clearly demonstrates the pitfalls and dangers of gay marriage that Canada has experienced.
http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2012/11/6758/
Lets see …
“The Witherspoon Institute is a conservative think tank in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded on religious principles, the group is opposed to same-sex marriage, embryonic stem cell research, and abortion.”
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witherspoon_Institute ]
It is hardly surprising that an organisation whom has a founding principle to oppose same-sex marriage has published a study citing its harmful effects. This is not an independent study. It is pretty much meaningless.
Ride
Quite!
That’s a pretty weak counter-argument. I guess I can assume then that you are unable to comment on the statistical research, case-law and legislative changes all cited in the article (from Canadian Government sources, not Conservative party theories).
But don’t let facts bother you. Carry on…
Why did Bean suggest that gay marriage would be harmful to the family unit? He has kids out of wedlock. He doesn’t give a s**** about marriage or the family unit. He’s a hypocrite as well as a bigot.
The gay agenda is the biggest hypocrisy going, they label everyone else as being intolerant bigots but you just dare not agree with their cause & see what happens…
Nope. They just want to be treated equally to everyone else.
And if someone earns the label ‘intolerant bigot’, like Marc Bean, they do that to themselves.
We have young girls and boys, school age boys and girls, prostituting themselves. We have women, married and unmarried, with children from different fathers. We have a culture of men of all races believing their manhood is tied to how many women they can bed. We have another group of men who live on the “down-low”, having wives and/or girlfriends as well as sex on the side with other men. We have men who think that children are fair sexual prey and wait for them outside our schools and bus-stops.
But two people who love each other so much they want to marry and live together as one will create “moral disruption” just because they are the same sex?? We have same sex couples living here (“in sin” because they cannot marry)who have been together for decades, which is longer than most modern day marriages can boast.
Well said Pastor!
Are you really a pastor?
So no gay people fall into those same categories of prostitution? Statuory rape? Down-low having a boyfriend and sleeping with a straight man? Gay men Bug Chasing?
2 Timothy 4:2-5 KJV
[2] Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. [3] For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; [4] And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. [5] But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
All the dysfunctional and morally disrupted people I know come from STRAIGHT marriage homes!
Well gays are also a product of straight relationships….. So what’s your point?
It was the church that first created and sustained the confusion of pedophilia & homosexuality. PEDOPHILIA IS NOT HOMOSEXUALITY!!!
I find that the Seventh Day Adventists are some of the largest hypocrites on the island. I have personally witnessed — on the stand in Supreme Court, perjure himself as he defended a pedophile teacher. What about Jonathan Cumberbatch who WAS A KNOWN PEDOPHILE..The PLP was stacked with gay members who never, ever stood up for themselves.
How about “Do unto others?” Marc Bean, The PLP, and the SDA are quite simply HYPOCRITES. YOU HAVE NO MORAL AUTHORITY OVER ANYONE. RELIGIOUS FASCISTS threatening others if they don’t agree with your personal preference’s as moral absolutes.
LEAVE OTHERS ALONE, AND PUT YOUR OWN HOUSE IN ORDER.
It is time Bermuda stops being held to ransom by these servile self seekers.
I remember the day I decided I’d be straight, I was just a girl in middle school and flipped a coin.
you are all gay!
And proud
I want to lay to rest the claim that homosexuals are ‘born that way’ or it is something that is genetic. Since the early 1990s, numerous scientific studies attempting to establish a genetic cause for homosexuality have not proven to be valid or repeatable. Valid and repeatable two important requirements for study results to become accepted as FACT in the scientific community.
Some of the very people that conducted these homosexuality gene studies themselves have said and I quote “At best, the evidence for a genetic and/or biological basis to homosexual orientation is inconclusive.”
Here are a few of these studies and what the scientist said about their own studies.
1991 Hypothalamus (Brain) Study, Simon LeVay, who self-identifies as gay, said: “It’s important to stress what I didn’t find. I did not prove that homosexuality is genetic, or find a genetic cause for being gay. I didn’t show that gay men are born that way, the most common mistake people make in interpreting my work. Nor did I locate a gay center in the brain.”
1991 Twins Study, Richard Pillard – also a gay man – admits: “Although male and female homosexuality appear to be at least somewhat heritable, environment must also be of considerable importance in their origins.
1993 X Chromosome Study, Dean Hamer – also a gay man – said: “…environmental factors play a role. There is not a single master gene that makes people gay…I don’t think we will ever be able to predict who will be gay.”
And from the 2005 Fruit Fly Study, Barry Dickson, the lead researcher, admitted that the understanding of how innate behaviours are genetically determined is “rudimentary at best.” He also admitted that the male-male courtship behaviours they observed probably involved “environmental and social stimuli” and that the female-female courtship behaviour was abnormal – missing some key steps.
The 2005 male and 2006 female pheromone studies from Sweden that gay activists claimed were more evidence of a biological basis to homosexuality? (Pheromones are chemicals that can be smelled and are known to influence animal behaviour. However, their role in humans is unknown.) Here, it is significant that Ivanka Savic, the lead researcher, said that the 2005 study had nothing to do with proving homosexuality to be biological. And regarding the 2006 study, she said “it is very important to make clear that the study has no implications for possible dynamics in sexual orientation.”
More recently, Dr. Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, summed up the research on homosexuality saying that “sexual orientation is genetically influenced but not hardwired by DNA, and that whatever genes are involved represent predispositions, not predeterminations”
So clearly, using these very studies the case for a “gay gene” has not been made. Still at this very moment, the scientific evidence of being “born gay,” is in FACT (truth) inconclusive. Therefore, until this so called scientific evidence of a “gay gene” becomes 100% true then homosexuality, at its core,is matter of how one decides to act sexually – not a matter of biology or genes.
So if someone doesn’t support homosexuality and/or same sex marriages they are homophobes and/or bigots?
And to speak on something You don’t believe in, will lead to law suits, in the future. Amazing due to the fact racism is still alive and well in this country. I always felt people were entitled to their opinions. Majority of racial groups believe in marrying within their own? Is that because they are bigots and racists? I never felt that way but now because someone has an issue with same sex relationships they are quickly labelled bigot or homophobe. That bothers me as that is just a nasty way to silence them but now the courst will be used to do so.
Religious institutuions as we know it will collapse over the years due to these changes in laws.
Let everyone do as they please and see what happens. Homosexuals may think they are progressing but they really do not understand the damage they are doing. I feel, if I followed their way of handling people who don’t believe in what I believe in, it would be ok to call such people the Anti-Christ
Nope. No one is stopping anyone practicing a religion. This is nothing to do with religion or churches. It’s only about giving people equality in real life (i.e. outside the church). Beleve me, no one cares what churches do or don’t do. They are irrelevent.
Gay rights is wrong. Same sex is an abomination. Bermuda is supposed to be a god loving christian island. So why let the devil in gods house. It is not right, what are you trying to show our children? This is unacceptable.
Having Children out of wedlock iis a bad example. Yet the church says nothing about that.
Gay people are already here living working serving the community in Bermuda are here have been here and will always be here ,just looking for the same human rights as anyone ! The God loving Christian community has a lot of issues bigger if we open our eyes and look around our own families and neighborhoods, Love is not the enemy in Bermuda .
Mark Bean has his head right. The leader of the OBA, also has his head on right. I see nothing wrong with two people who choose to be gay, also choose to live in relationship (civil union) with each other. The problems arise when the same people then fight to make their way equal to that of a married couple.
The reason why one claims that it not a choice, is after they were molested by a gay person, or there was some form of incest in theirs or their family tree. To say that gays are born that way is not an accurate statement. The inherited the sins of the fathers/mothers (whatever they were into) fall onto future generations. That being said, you can calculate what kind of tomorrow we are going to have if so many citizens choose to give in to the gay/lesbian agenda. Its like letting termites in your house cause they need protection, but then they turn and destroy your way of life by eating your house.
If we give this movement a foot hold, we have a high probability of loosing our future generations to its influence. Our sons will look for sons to court, and our daughters will look for women. We have a chance to loose all that previous generations fought to build. We are building our tomorrow today. We look for grandchildren to give us great-grandchildren. But if little Bobby, is allowed to feel comfort in his relationship with Steve and they live as a couple…… there can be no grandchildren.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2305125/Gay-couple-accused-molesting-9-adopted-children-withdraw-guilty-plea-decide-trial-fight-allegations.html
Off course the S.D.A accept homosexuals they all follow and abide by a book that a European homosexual wrote. Some of them in the S.D.A and various Christian denominations are gay as well.
Everyone should have their right to marriage to their life partner recognised. I have been considering Mr. Bean’s personal comments, which seem unnecessarily hate laden to me, over the past day or so.
Let me put it into the perspective from which I am regarding his comments. Imagine for a moment that we are back in the early 1900s and Mr. Bean is a white man talking about interracial marriage.
I am HUGELY disappointed in Mr. Beans comments. My only consolation is that he has stated that his hate is personal and not the views of the PLP as a party.
Why he would want to share such hate-filled views with the general public is beyond me though.
So sad.
There have been several nasty insinuations that Marc Bean is unmarried and is also the father of one or more children. I have no idea whether or not this is true but can someone please provide us with the facts.
I believe it would be interesting and relevant to know the truth because as I understand it Mr. Bean is promoting the holy state of matrimony and is claiming that same sex marriage is furthering the ongoing destruction and is an attack on the family unit. He even described it as “an attack on the foundation of civilisation and on life itself, and that’s the family unit”.
I would be at a loss to understand how someone who chooses to bring children into this world but does not choose to marry the mother of his children can accuse others of destroying the family unit if they were given the right to marry. What exactly does Mr. Bean mean by the words “family unit”. Does his definition include anyone and everyone who has children regardless of whether or not they are married. That might be seen by some is being rather hypocritical!