Sometimes kids say it best...

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A young girl, who has two mothers, was asked to write a statement about legalizing Gay Marriage in New Jersey. This is what she wrote:  Quote:My name is Jessie Petrow-Cohen and I live with my moms, my sister, my three dogs, our gecko, our hermit crabs, our guinea pigs and our snails in Maplewood, NJ. To me a family is a group of people who love each other and are willing to do anything for one another. Let me tell you a little bit about my family. Like most families mornings are crazy and one of us will usually leave home without something pretty important. Between walking the dogs and making lunches everyone’s just running around trying to get out the door. Wednesdays are insane. There’s gymnastics, Hebrew school, usually someone who needs to go to a friend’s house to pick up homework or something like that. And of course we have to get home to watch “Glee.” We have holidays together with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, go on vacations together, and my parents are at every sports competition or game my sister and I have ever had. I tell them everything about school and friends. I feel that my family is no different. Except for just one thing, in New Jersey where we live together, we are a family, but legally we are not. When anyone is curious about my family I am glad to tell them. When I told my friends I would be coming here today, they went home and begged their parents if they could come to support me, in fact one of my closest friends, Glynnis Olin, is here with us today. The only thing that’s different about my family and every one of yours is that we have to stand here and ask you if we can legally be a family, when you can be one without asking anyone. I think that us having to do something like that may just make our love stronger, but it’s gotten to the point where it just isn’t fair. When I fill out forms in the beginning of the year it says mother emergency number and father emergency number. In fourth grade we were making fathers day cards and even though I don’t have a father the teacher made me write one to an imaginary father, it was crazy. On back to school night my sister had to write a letter to our parents and was required to follow the format on the board that included “Dear Mom and Dad.” It’s these little things over and over again that set my family apart from being totally normal, because other than the fact that some people don’t want to give my parents the right to get married, we are. While some of these situations are unfair our friends and neighbors are very supportive and helpful. Last December my house had a very serious fire and the whole community of Maplewood was amazing. People we barely knew offered us a place to stay in their home. For two months after the fire the doorbell rang at 6:00 and delicious home made dinners were brought to us. People took down our clothing sizes and went out and bought totally new wardrobes. If you’re worried that the people of new Jersey are not ready to accept us I’m here to tell you that they have been for a while. So please, I would really like to be able to dance at my parents’ wedding. Thank you for inviting me here today. Full article found here:http://maplewood.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/07/local-teen-will-argue-for-same-sex-marriage/

i don't care if it goes against "religeon" or whatever, but people have the right to be happy and be a family. Although, a legal right to get married is just a formality, I'm all for the legalization of same sex marriage. As for being forced to write letters for an imaginary father, that's just wrong. Sometimes kids are better off with two moms or two dads. If people would just realize that we are people too, and get their heads out of their asses, because our getting married to the man or woman of our dreams is none of their business anyways. All I've heard in school are stereotypes and I know none of them are true. Why is everything we do put under such a biased microscope???

I hope they legalize it. I'm sooo tired of the stereotypes and stuff!!! I hate it!!America is not free, it communist!!!!!!!!!!

I hope they legalize it before I'm ready to marry my partner. Stereotypes are all i've ever heard, but I'm bi and half the family friends are gay, and those people that throw stereotypes around need to shut their mouths and open their eyes. America is communist, if we governed ourselves I don't think we'd be in bad shape

Yep it is.
I hope they legaliz it before I meet the man of my dreams, I'm gay.
Hopefully 6' 4" or taller (I'm 6' 3") basketball/football/swimmer type. Man that I dream about lol

Children are known for their wonderfully innocent (and piercing) questions...not for their overly intelligent answers. I'm afraid this young girl has experienced nothing other than the situation she was brought into, and this is all we may gleen by her statement. On the other hand, it speaks volumes if we find out that she was told what to say. Hmmm.

yep, this poor, deluded child needs a damn good Christian brainwashing to show her that her beliefs and the people she loves are wrong wrong WRONG!

Children should not live their lives based in the past. Just because u r anti-homo doesnt mean she has to hate her parents.I really think your view is to hate anything different than what you believe in.This young girl has experienced nothing??? You have no idea who this is or what she's gone thru so you have no say in that. I feel like my grandma is more keen on gay people then you thor. and my grandpa... i can talk about this topic with my grandparents no problem and they dont try to brainwash me... they also dont hate people who are gay. On the other hand I cant have a civil conversation with my parents because they are against it. Im lucky enough to have a christian family who didnt try to brainwash my own beliefs and lets me make my own decisions.Just want to say I LOVE ALL YOU GAYS AND HOPE U INVITE ME TO YOUR WEDDINGS .. because I believe legalizing it will happen in my lifetime. Hopefully yours too Thor!!!

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I believe legalizing it will happen in my lifetime

it's already legal here Steph. I attended my friends' "gay" wedding in 2003. It was held at the Cedars Worship Centre over on Beachwood Dr.

Originally Posted By: unsupervisedit's already legal here Steph.That's just another reason Canadian society is coming apart at the seams and people are wanting to marry their dogs and pedophiles can legally diddle children and people can eat their babies and...Ahhhhhh! The end is near... Canadians change your ways or God will send a hurricane to Canada to punish you, just like he did to the hedonist here... If you don't believe me just ask Pat Robertson.

I think a hurricane in Ontario might actually make me think about changing my evil ways If you'll excuse me, I have to go eat a baby (which is provided free of charge by our socialist government)

Maybe God is punishing you now with all that snow.... Huh, huh did you ever think of that. The sun is shining on us folk in Oklahoma who are pure of heart and repentant and pious in our ways.

Originally Posted By: StephieJChildren should not live their lives based in the past. Just because u r anti-homo doesnt mean she has to hate her parents.I really think your view is to hate anything different than what you believe in.Who said anything about that? Why do you continually purport the idea that disagreeing with something means hating it? Not from me, as I've never said any such thing...so where is that idea coming from? I think you should figure out the answer to that question for your own benefit. If you can be truthful with yourself, the answer may surprise you. Quote:This young girl has experienced nothing??? You have no idea who this is or what she's gone thru so you have no say in that. I know she's experienced being the child in a home where two adult women are living in their idea of a relationship with each other. I know of no other experience's she might have had...and niether do you. But I think it's safe to assume she was raised in that house from the start...or her statement would have little clout with the public, and the GLBT community would not be able to use her as a poster-child.

Originally Posted By: unsupervised  Quote:I believe legalizing it will happen in my lifetime it's already legal here Steph. As I said before, Canada is way ahead of the US in the game of liberalism.

Originally Posted By: OldFolksMaybe God is punishing you now with all that snow.... Huh, huh did you ever think of that. The sun is shining on us folk in Oklahoma who are pure of heart and repentant and pious in our ways. Don't plant carrots and expect tomatoes to show up.

Quote:and the GLBT community would not be able to use her as a poster-child. The girl is not being used, she was asked if you would write statement, which she gladly accepted. I think its amazingly brave what this girl has done.Also, just because she was raised by lesbian parents doesn't mean she doens't know what a typical family is made of; a mother and a father. If anything it makes her more aware because, thanks to people like yourself, its constantly pushed in her face what a family is supposed to be. There shouldn't be restrictions on the definition of a family.

Quote:On the other hand, it speaks volumes if we find out that she was told what to say. Hmmm. And yet again with the conspiracies....

Originally Posted By: NtroducingMyselfThere shouldn't be restrictions on the definition of a family. There already are...otherwise known as "morality" and "sensibility". Problem is there are some folks out there who are trying their best to put both in the toilet, and for purely selfish reasons.

Originally Posted By: NtroducingMyself  Quote:On the other hand, it speaks volumes if we find out that she was told what to say. Hmmm. And yet again with the conspiracies.... No...that's "agenda" Eddie...A.G.E.N.D.A.!

Originally Posted By: thor Originally Posted By: NtroducingMyselfThere shouldn't be restrictions on the definition of a family. There already are...otherwise known as "morality" and "sensibility". Problem is there are some folks out there who are trying their best to put both in the toilet, and for purely selfish reasons. Lol selfish?? Have you taken a good hard look at yourself?It kills me how people like you have the nerve to call us selfish, it truly blows my mind. We are so selfish in wanting Equality, we are selfish in wanting to be treated with dignity like any other American. Its funny... I'm a born American, yet illegal imagrants have more rights than I do. But I am selfish? Well I suppose if that makes me selfish than so be it, but in my book its not selfishness, its whats right and just as an American Citizen.