Beastly Thoughts Abound, But Aren’t New

The Colorado Stonewall Democras are the latest to weigh in on the Grand Junction “I married a goldfish” affair, noted this morning in Jason Bane’s Political Gravy

In a news release issued this afternoon, the Denver-based Democratic gay advocacy group noted the “bizarre psychological overtones of the affair, pointing out that “it has been said that the laws people advocate for most strenuously say a lot about what they most fear in themselves.”

“Behavior such as this leads to the question, why do the minds of Republicans always go straight to thoughts of bestiality whenever the possibility of civil unions between consenting adult humans comes up? What travesty is lurking in their own minds? Do they fear that if same-sex civil unions become legal, then they themselves will somehow no longer be able to control their desire for members of the animal kingdom?”

This week the Mesa State College Young Republicans who participated in the goldfish marriage celebration were quoted saying they weren’t doing it to support Lt. Gov. candidate Janet Rowland, who is apparently afraid of people marrying their sheep. Are we to believe somehow that they were just updating the old frat trick of swallowing live fish?

In this week’s Westword, Editor Patricia Calhoun provides some good background on the 30-year old argument over animal husbandry in Colorado – including the man who tried to marry his horse in Boulder way back when, only to be denied because the 8-year mare was underage.

Yes, indeed, the married men = married beast argument has been around for awhile. Back in 1992, the sponsors of Amendment 2, which was designed to deny gays and lesbians from seeking protected status, also earnestly tried to sound a warning that “accepting the homosexual lifestyle” would be the equivalent of throwing open the barnyard doors. They were roundly laughed down over that point – but the amendment ultimately passed anyway (though it was later struck down as unconstitutional).

Flash-forward 14 years. With two diametrically opposing gay partnership issues on this November’s ballot, expect the moos and the barks –