Republicans citing religious arguments against "gay marriage" were a much bigger cause. If Republicans had properly framed the issue, libertarians would have realized that "gay marriage" is in fact anti-libertarian. Even without laws "legalizing" so-called "gay marriage" homosexuals were free to have whatever sort of relationships they wished. What they couldn't do was use the power of government to compel other people to honor their relationships.
If Republicans had framed the issue as one of "Should homosexuals be allowed to force other people to honor their relationship in the same way they would a heterosexual marriage", very few people would have sided with the leftists. But the way the leftists framed the issue, the gay activists were able to portray the Republicans as promoting religious oppression, and the Republicans who kept citing Biblical arguments played right into the leftists hands.
> If Republicans had framed the issue as one of “Should
> homosexuals be allowed to force other people to honor their
> relationship in the same way they would a heterosexual
> marriage”,
That is EXACTLY how I framed the argument to my Libertarian friends and relatives. Most saw it my way. I told them that we would all be forced to “celebrate” somebody else’s fantasy.
Hey, you can entertain whatever fantasy you want, just don’t force me to participate in it or pay for it.
That was how I framed my argument.
The Left framed it as a 14th amendment issue, evading the fact that homosexuality is BEHAVIOR NOT ANCESTRY.
Not really.
For libertarians, it wasn’t just marriage, it was all homosexual issues, the military, adoption, everything.
“Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on the government’s treatment of individuals, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws.”