Republican congressman compares same sex marriage to polygamy, incest

[Playinghardball]

Source: Raw Story

During a House Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, freshman GOP Congressman Trey Gowdy of South Carolina questioned why Attorney General Eric Holder should apply a higher level of scrutiny to same sex marriage laws than to laws concerning inter-family marriage and polygamy.

In February, President Barack Obama decided that the Defense of Marriage Act, a Clinton-era law that restricts the benefits of marriage to a man and a woman, merited heightened scrutiny from the the courts and ordered the Department of Justice to stop defending it.

According to the president, because the law discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation, it must be "substantially related to an important government interest" rather than merely "rationally related to a legitimate government interest."

More at: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/05/03/republican-congressman-compares-same-sex-marriage-to-polygamy/

[inademv]

1. That has got to sting to Mormons

[Warren Stupidity]

2. the incest comparison is bullshit

There is a credible comparison between same sex marriage equality and legalization of polygamous marriages.

[DCKit]

3. I'm betting freshman GOP Congressman Trey Gowdy of South Carolina has a porn collection...

impressive both in size and the depravity of the content.

Republicon Puritans spend waaayyyy too much time thinking about these things.

[madinmaryland]

4. What a moran! These idiots don't understand that same-sex marriage by definition is

a consensual relationship between two consensual adults. Polygamy and incest do not involve consent, often between an adult and a minor.

Damn idiots.

[WatsonT]

5. Polygamy and gay marriage, sure

as in "what does it matter to anyone else who I choose to marry".

Incest, a bit more tricky as you could take the extreme civil rights view and argue that it's no one elses business who you screw. Or you could take the public health route and say there is a compelling reason to prevent incest due to the effects on the offspring.

Of course birth control and/or same sex relationships would hurt that argument. Then you're just left with the "ick" argument, which is essentially the same thing going against gay marriage right now for opponents.