3. “Isn’t it kind of intolerant to be angry at people for standing by their beliefs/religion?”

If there’s anything I’m OK being intolerant of, it’s intolerance. I’m not a pacifist, my tolerance isn’t unlimited. I don’t think there’s nothing worth fighting for. The rights and equality of the people of my country is where I put my foot down. And I don’t care where the intolerance springs from. If your religion has a problem with 10% of the population of my country, then I have a problem with your religion and maybe you should examine your position as well. If you don’t think you can discard a part of your religion because your religion is infallible, then you have not studied the history of your religion. Every religion is filled with examples the religion realizing it is wrong, and changing as a result. If you don’t agree with your religion, don’t think there’s no room for change. The most loving, kind and tolerant people I know are Christians.

4. Believing that gays shouldn’t marry isn’t the same as being intolerant of gays.

Actually, I think it’s exactly the same thing. You’re saying that you don’t have a problem with them, but that they shouldn’t have access to the same institutions as you because they’re different. You’re saying that you don’t hate them, but that they don’t deserve the same rights that the rest of us have. People said the same thing about segregation and even slavery. Take a deeper look at your feelings, or the feelings of the people who have created this controversy. Do you really think that it comes from a place of love? Or does it come from a place of fear?

In conclusion, I think that marriage is fantastic. I think it is SO fantastic. I think it’s a powerful and worthy institution. ANd I think it’s disgusting that we are not allowing a huge portion of our population to participate in that institution. It makes me angry, it makes me sad, and it makes me ashamed. I’m sorry for cutting people out, I want this to be a conversation, but I don’t want to portray this as a political disagreement that we need to debate. That’s not what it is. This is, fundamentally, the denial of rights to a section of our population because of who they are. Calling it anything else, to my ears, is just playing pretend.