AniTEditorial: Days of Whining and New Rosies

[DR. BELCH]

So I heard that Rosie O'Donnell has officially come out of the closet in an interview on national TV. There are some cynics who aren't that surprised to learn she is a lesbian (innset "Hey, Charlie, you owe me five bucks" joke here).
What concerns me is that she and her longtime friend want to adopt children. Now seriously, does anyone else think that between growing up rich and not having a strong father-figure present, those kids, esp. if they're girls, will have a greater chance of being totally morally skewed and promiscuous as adults? Rosie's "two gay parents are better than none" argument just sounds like pink-triangle recruitment propaganda, for my money.
Homosexuality as chic. Feh. If this trend keeps up, next brothers and sisters will want the right to marry one another, and folks will be trying to walk down the aisle with pets and farm animals....

[Nightwing]

Oooh, interesting topic! While I was at my mom's travel agency fixing their printer, the agents/mom's friends were talking about this. And I was pleased to see that I completely agreed with all of them. I was kinda sad though cuz my mom didn't say that much in the discusion. Maybe I get MY mindset from Dad, or maybe Mom's parents.

Anyway! I really don't see how incest and beastiality could be distant side effects of lesbians wanting to adopt, but if you wanna hear what urks me about this issue the most, stay where you are cuz we'll be right back!

And we're back! :p Some opinions feel that the reason why lesbian/gay couples should not adopt (or, as another example, people of different races getting married) is because of how the other children or other couples would treat them. When debating if this issue is right or wrong, we've learned that making fun of people (or worse) is justified. Joy!! You shouldn't have to put yourself aside for the sake of ignorance or narrow mindedness.

I don't think this is an issue since I don't think there's anything wrong with being gay or bi or whatever you wanna be, just so long as you care for, and respect others and their opinions. I'm not gay, so I don't fully understand it. That being the case, I can't say being gay is immoral, or a gay couple adopting kids is immoral.

There are some heterosexual couples who don't deserve to have kids, too. It's not the sexual orientation of the parents that screws up the kid and turns em into a bad person. It's just the parents.

As for a father figure, I don't see how two very smart people can't work around that in raising their child. That's what teaching is for. If you just up the communications with the child I'm sure they won't be 'missing out' on anything. Sorry if that was vague, but like I said, I'm not gay, I don't know how this specific couple thinks, and therefore I have all these unknowns against me. I can't neccessarily figure out a solution for a this unknown, known as gay/lesbian couples adopting for those who forgot, but I'm more than positive two people could if they truly wanted to.

[The Dark Knight]

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There are worse parents out there, and her sexual preference has no bearing on whether she can raise a child or not. Rosie O'Donnell has proven she is very able in dealing with children, and the life she would provide is infinitely preferable to life in an orphanage. She is an American citizen, and nowhere in the Constitution, or any American law, does is say that one must be a heterosexual to raise a child. Now let's end this conversation before it gets out of hand.

[Sheamon]

I think its a non-issue with the Rosie thing. LoL, you people actually think she's really raising those kids? Rosie's armed guards carrying the guns that she so blatantly opposes on TV, the servants, and babysitters raise them. While she's out in the spotlight blabbing about her idiotic ideals her kids are probably doing nothing but eating and watching TV all day, getting as fat as her.

As for gays who would be REAL parents, I'd say I have to oppose. I've got nothing against homosexuality as long as you keep it private, but I'm of the opinion that you should have both a mother and a father figure in your life, something that can't be provided by a homosexual couple.

[RockItShipper]

I gotta say Rosie sure had some good preparation before doing that interview. Still don't particularly like her, or find her remotely talented... but that's beside the point.

Florida's one of the few states not allowing gay adoption. Foster care, yes. Former alcoholics and domestic violence perps are evaluated for adoption in Florida on a case by case basis. Gays are shut out all together. If you're the least bit tolerant, can't you see what's wrong there? Add in Rosie's mention of how there's lots of dark-skinned children not being adopted (not that she adopted any herself).

I hear echoes of "if people of different races have children, the child won't know what they are and will be screwed up." I heard that only a few years ago from one of my cousins. The same one now married to an Arab-American and with a baby on the way.

If you think children need to be exposed to male and female role models, what's wrong with close family friends and relatives if it's a same-sex parents household? Second spouses, whether because of divorce or death, aren't always replacement parental figures in heterosexual marriages to begin with!

[Sheamon]

Add in Rosie's mention of how there's lots of dark-skinned children not being adopted (not that she adopted any herself).


Whats she smoking? The only people who get white kids in this country are celebrities like her. If she was a normal person she'd have a couple of Chinese kids instead.
In practically every case, kids from other countries are adopted because there's no american kids to adopt. All the kids have their brains torn out over here (also know as abortion) so there's not exactly that many left to be adopted. Heck, my neighbors had to travel 10,000 miles to China and spend a countless amount of more money to adopt a kid because there were none available, despite this being a densely populated area.

[Zoddman]

Boy, this is a really touchy subject, so I'm going to try to stay clear minded about this.

The big question isn't that the kids will be raised in a good household, I'm sure many of these gay couples will really love their adopted kids. The question is if these kids will grow up gay themselves. Children grow up by observing what is right and wrong, and their parents directly influence how people think in life. If an adopted child grows up in a loving, caring homosexual household, they will see that as acceptable, and will most likely choose to be gay themselves.

I'm not going to judge if that is right or wrong, I'll let people think about that for themselves. Peace. :bosko:

[Bud 'n Lou]

Homosexuals are not evil. The ones who want to adopt children aren't trying to "recruit," as is being suggested. Perhaps they, oh I dunno...just want to have children because that's what happens a lot when you reach a certain point in your life? Instead, some people jump to the insane conclusion that they're trying to "convert" these children. If you ask me, the children of gay parents aren't being brainwashed, it's the people who are raised to think such things about homosexuals in the first place who have been.
They're people. And a lot of folks still don't see them that way, obviously. If they did, they might realize that there is no "agenda," and their motivations for wanting to have children might just be for the same reasons any heterosexual might.
Also, whether or not children have a father figure does not determine if they're going to turn out immoral or promiscuous. What does that even mean? Do you think mothers can't be disciplinarians? Only men are fit for the task? There's really no garauntee, but children are probably going to turn out the way their parents teach them to be, and I doubt any parent would teach their children to be sluts anyway. No one seems to worry about this issue regarding single parent households.
I don't see where the idea of "homosexuality as chic" came from. You mean just because society is somewhat more accepting of homosexuality now that's it's suddenly "in"? Because otherwise, I don't understand how someone could believe this. Can I have a show of hands to see how many people here would really really like nothing more than to be gay? Yeah, I thought so. Society is now more than ever simply acknowledging, little by little, the existence of homosexuality, (and even then, in most cases, it's viewed negatively) but that doesn't mean it's considered fashionable. Far from it, believe me. This extreme exaggeration of the truth seems little more than close-minded propaganda to me. It appears to me to be basically an attempt to get the masses riled up to some kind of hysteria of "we're being overrun by the gays" so inevitably, they can be rallied to "stamp it out."
Also, what's with the constant references to incest and farm animals whenever the question of gay rights comes up? That's so ridiculous, I don't even need to make an attempt to counter that arguement, because it's weak and silly.


I've got nothing against homosexuality as long as you keep it private

Ok...well, if that's how you feel then you DO have something against homosexuality.

[Harley]

Okay. Wow. Guys, I think some of us reading this thread know exactly which road this is headed down. For the love of Pete, please drop this and go talk about cartoons or comics or something.

I'm leaving this for the appropriate mods to deal with, but as one of the owners of Toon Zone, I'm asking both of you to walk away from this one.

[RockItShipper]

I'm sure those people opposed to interracial marriage brought up bestiality and incest as well...

What kind of households are the majority, if not all, homosexuals raised in? What about hetero and bi-sexuals?

Why the traditional straight household, of course!

Straight parents, straight children is an assumption. They don't go looking to see if their kids are straight. But I doubt gay parents would push a lifestyle still not easy in this day and age for their offspring. What makes sense is wanting grandkids, an easier life for their kids, and that each kid happily grows into whatever he or she is- either which way.

[Bud 'n Lou]

Originally posted by Harley
Okay. Wow. Guys, I think some of us reading this thread know exactly which road this is headed down. For the love of Pete, please drop this and go talk about cartoons or comics or something.

I'm leaving this for the appropriate mods to deal with, but as one of the owners of Toon Zone, I'm asking both of you to walk away from this one.

I don't think it's necessary to close this thread. I haven't attacked anyone's political or religious affiliation, and I haven't attacked anyone personally, so I think it's remained pretty civil (a little heated maybe, but still civil), and I will continue to keep it so for my part. I think it's an important and, admittedly, uncomfortable topic for some, to be discussed, but I think it's the spirit of this forum to be open to this kind of subject, and it shouldn't be shut down.

[Harley]

I never said I was closing it. If I was going to close it, I would've done so by now. It's for the WF mods and admins to decide what to do.

But, I do want my concern noted amongst the people involved here due to my experience with having to deal with the results of previous conversations that led somewhat along this line.

[DR. BELCH]

It is possible to have an intelligent conversation about an issue without it degenerating into insults and anger and having to close things down. I'm not insulting anyone personally and I don't want to start fights. I started this thead to prove that people can maturely discuss a hot-button issue without it turning ugly.

I don't care if you don't agree with my views. You can say I'm being too fatalistic, and maybe I am. But there are two groups of people I don't believe should be raising children--the very poor and the very rich. Either way daddy gets replaced by a check.

The argument of two consenting adults, closed doors, no kids/animals comes to mind...but is adopting a child into such a lifestyle subtly crossing that line? Can I ask this question without it being cause for alarm and people wondering what color underdrawers I wear beneath my Klan robes?

[Failure]

Shoot, out for a night and look what's abrewing.

#1 - I don't think this topic belongs here

#2 - My personal opinion is, who cares whether they're gay parents or not. I just want to see more good parenting in general out there, hetero or homo, doesn't matter to me. You can't imagine the hundreds of times I've seen kids with terrible parents and thought, "damn, their lives are ruined."

#3 - I was very tempted to close this thread. While, I commend everyone for staying pretty level-headed and respectful, the comparisons with homosexuality with incest and beastiality is disrepectful at the least, and a breaking of the rules, at the worst. The only reason I'm keeping this open for now is because I think it's a worthy, albeit uncomfortable, topic of discussion. But we are straddling that line of respectability right now. I'm keeping a very close eye here, everyone stay cool, and remember the rules.

[Failure]

Ok, I reread all the posts and decided to close it. Everyone's been pretty civil so far - so thanks. But after thinking about it, with the comparisons to beastiality and incest, rules of respect have been broken. Like I said before, this was straddling that line, and I think there was no way we weren't going to cross it.

I think Maxie's said something before that everyone should keep in mind "you might not respect everyone here, but you at least have to pretend to." Something to that effect.