Raleigh's Clay Aiken, who rose to stardom on "American Idol" in 2003, is speaking out against the proposed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in North Carolina.
In a video posted to YouTube on Monday, Aiken says there's no one right kind of family.
"Families look different. They always have looked different," Aiken says. "You have single parent families, you have families with parents of different races, you have families with parents of different religions. And no matter what we might want a family to look like, we can't put into a constitution -- a document that's supposed to protect our rights -- one narrow definition. And I think that an amendment like this goes way too far."
Aiken, a UNC Charlotte graduate, announced he was gay in 2008 and has a son with his friend, Jaymes Foster, the sister of record producer David Foster. Aiken recorded the spot for a group called The Coalition to Protect North Carolina Families.
Amendment One will be on the ballot on May 8. It would define marriage in the N.C. Constitution as being between one man and one woman. Gay marriage is already illegal in North Carolina.
We can't name a single song Aiken sings, but he's using his voice well on this issue. While other states, such as Washington, are moving toward equality, North Carolina could move away from it.
Here's Aiken's video:
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Idol's Clay Aiken blasts gay marriage amendment
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13 comments:
My $0.02 - This issue brings out the Libertarian in me. My religious beliefs hold that a man should marry only 1 woman, and that homosexual relationships are outside of what is right and moral. However, I recognize that there are people who choose to believe otherwise. That is their right and none of my business. I do not believe in legislating morality. So I do not plan on voting for the amendment.
Now where it goes too far is if, for example, the public school system decides to put on an event or seminar that is decidedly pro-gay and make it mandatory for all students. In such a case, parents should be allowed to remove their child from that event if it conflicts with that family's beliefs. In the workplace, you should be able to work with anyone without regard to matters such as this. What a co-worker does and who that co-worker sleeps with when he or she goes home has no bearing whatsoever on whether or not he or she can get the job done.
When I think of "tolerance" and "equality," I think it means that you allow each person to hold his/her own beliefs, not pass judgment on people you don't know and do not force any group of people holding one set of beliefs to preach another set of beliefs.
And no matter which side of this debate you are on, I think we should all agree that the economy should be much higher on the priority list than this.
4:41...
You're way behind...
Public schools in California will be required to teach students about the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans starting Jan. 1 after Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday signed a controversial bill to add the topic to the social sciences curriculum.
Parents cannot opt out.
You can't legislate morality, and you sure can't write discrimination into a state or federal constitution. With a big enough propaganda effort, you can get the general public to vote for nearly anything, especially if organized religion gets behind the effort. The Founding Fathers had a term for this: "Tyranny of the Majority".
In a perfect world, this ridiculous amendment wouldn't even be on the ballet. But since it is, it needs to be soundly defeated by the fair-minded rational voters of North Carolina.
Even if it passes, it won't pass Constitutional muster and will likely get overruled by the courts, as it has elsewhere. This is America, and regardless of the wishes of Christian fundamentalists, it isn't a religious theocracy yet.
Archie...
I wouldn't be so sure. NC law won't be like other states who voted in gay marriage only to then have it voted out by voters.
I find the "you can't legislate morality" statement to be comical.
So if 53% of Americans favor gay marriage and vote it in, doesn't the tyranny become the majority?
Just as many people think you're not a fair-minded, rational voter.
It works both ways.
I'm against polygamist marriage but support civil unions for gays.
Does that mean I'm not fair-minded?
Evidently you support polygamy, afterall, to use your argument, you can't legislate morality.
Wiley,
Your logic is muddled. There is no need to vote IN rights for any group, gay or otherwise. Equal rights for all are presumed by the Constitution. What you can do is legally take rights away from a large and unthreatening group of taxpaying citizens or prevent them from enjoying the same rights others do, which is what this amendment is attempting. That's illegal, and no popular referendum can make it otherwise.
As to your analogy with polygamy, it is a typical attempt to use an extreme example to prove an unrelated point. Polygamy is illegal because it leads to a unstable society. It demeans and subjugates women. There is no nationwide clamoring for it, nor is there for any other of the extreme analogies conservatives like to trot out like bestiality, pedophilia, child marriage, etc. False analogies don't help you prove your point.
Why do religious people think that legalizing gay marriage somehow takes something away from their own marriage, or somehow threatens it? That's totally ridiculous, besides childish and ignorant. In states that have open mindedness and have legalized it, the sky hasn't fallen, nothing that your lil minds could think of. What would Jesus do? He'd look at all of you in shame and wonder why you're so closed minded when HE spent time with whores, drunkards, the lowest of the low. He wasn't above them, he was part OF them, and appreciated where they were. Why can't you get your high brow holier than thou attitude in line and quit this ignorant stance of denying your fellow men and women, the same right to marry who they want? Will it affect you in anyway if it IS legal? Nope, not at all. Grow up, and make your GOD proud instead of embarrassed by your inaction to allow basic freedoms to people who love each other regardless of your "approval" or not. It's the RIGHT thing to do, so don't support this crazy amendment which details what a family is or isn't. A family that's full of love is all that matters. Time for the hatred and bigotry to stop.
"We can't name a single song Aiken sings, but he's using his voice well on this issue"
Educate yourself. Start with his latest single "Bring Back My Love" on iTunes.
Civil unions for all (gay or straight), and let the churches figure out the marriage thing. It's just fair.
J, I agree, you can't legislate morality as the two parties have been trying to do for a century now.
LP candidate Gary Johnson for president!
www.garyjohnson2012.com
From same news cycle: "Rove Urges Vote for GOP" and "Gates Supports Subsidy for Windows Users".
Does Aiken's endorsement surprise? Has a vote been changed?
So we should give special rights to something created in a person's mind?
So goes Clay Aiken,
so goes North Carolina.
Remind me again who he is?
Who is Clay Aiken? Clay is a GREAT singer, a dedicated humanitarian, and a Unicef Ambassador. He is the founder of the National Inclusion Project, which provides for handicapped kids to join non-handicapped kids in summer camps. He's also smart, funny, snarky, tough, handsome, and a joy to his fans. Watch him on the Celebrity Apprentice on NBC, 9 P.M., on Sunday nights, starting 2/19. He'll knock your socks off!
Hello Dude,
The gay marriage Amendment is going to look at it from a perspective that hasn't really been given the focus. There are several important issues that have gotten lost in the shuffle of religious extremism and homophobia. Thanks for sharing it......
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