Apple CEO Tim Cook Publicly Comes Out as Gay in Letter Declaring Support for Equality

[chrmjenkins]

Straight from the dictionary and 1000's of years of history:

mar·riage
ˈmerij/
noun
1.
the legally or formally recognized union of a man and a woman

In those 1000's of years of marriage, it's been used a simple form of barter, social currency in the pursuit of political power and a legally recognized union in which assault, rape and other crimes cannot occur. It's also been legally acceptable for partners to wed in what would amount to violations of child endangerment and exploitation laws today. Thank heavens we haven't sullied it's lustrous history with recognizing same sex partner unions as marriages.

 

[Tough Guy]

That really doesn't change the argument. How did the Arawaks learn how to treat each other without exposure to christianity?

What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Or anything I said?

 

[AppleFan360]

Slow news day I guess.

 

[bsolar]

AGAIN, marriage by definition is NOT two men or two women, or two women and one man, or two men and one woman. Marriage by definition is ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN.

The definition in the dictionary means exactly nothing when talking about rights: the legal definition is what matters, and the US Constitution does not mention marriage at all, so there is no "definition" to be "redefined" there.

It depends on your particular state's laws, and in some states marriage is already available to gay couples: if you live in one of these states "marriage" doesn't mean "one man and one woman" only already here and now.

Assuming you're talking about the US: your mileage may vary dramatically in different countries.

 

[mattster16]

Why is it that the only people who think being gay is a choice the people who are straight? I have honestly never met a gay person who said "You know something? I woke up yesterday morning and decided, yup, heterosexuality is getting boring, I might try being gay."

However I know plenty of gay people who spent many years trying their damned hardest to be straight (having girlfriends and making excuses that they couldn't sleep together because they were saving themselves) because people had told them they'd probably get AIDS and live a short and lonely life.

I'm one of them. Turns out it was all nonsense and aged 18, after sleepless nights of thinking about killing myself I decided to learn to accept who I really was. Turns out all my straight buddies were grown up enough to accept it too. I even managed to captain my university rowing team with complete respect from the rest of the crew. I'm now, at the ripe age of 32, 8 years into a monogamous relationship, living in a tiny village in the middle of England. I'm one of the biggest farmers in the area an my other half is a partner in a GP practice. It is not seedy, sordid or promiscuous. In fact it could be considered a little dull. But I wouldn't change it for the world.

There are uncountable decisions that I have made in life. Being gay was not one of them.

Thanks for sharing your story. I'm a bit younger than you, 28, and spent up until the age of 26 being 'straight'. I suffered from anxiety for many years because of this. I don't have to go into detail because I know you understand.

I have now been in a wonderful relationship with my partner for almost 2 years. Like you state there is nothing "seedy, sordid or promiscuous" about it. Just doing the daily tasks of living like everyone else does. Nothing sensational, maybe boring. But it is MY boring (happy) life.

It saddens me that people take so much offense to me being happy. I can only brush it off and hope they can someday find a way to be a happy, less hate filled person as well. Live and let live.

 

[doelcm82]

AGAIN, marriage by definition is NOT two men or two women, or two women and one man, or two men and one woman. Marriage by definition is ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN. So you have to redefine it. I could not care less who spends their life with each other and what they do in private. I believe we have the freedom in this country and given by God to do with out lives as we want.

The gay movement is completely wrong by thinking they have to be called "Married" Why is that word so important. Think about it. There is an agenda for sure.

mar·riage
ˈmerij/
noun
1.
the legally or formally recognized union of a man and a woman

i suspect that you deliberately excluded the other definitions of marriage that accompanied that one.

But even your definition doesn't exclude a man marrying two women or a woman marrying multiple women.

 

[mozumder]

Its not separate. Its would be different name. That is NOT separate. Does calling a man and man, make him unequal to a woman who is called a woman, especially if they have all the same rights. Your argument is ridiculous.

Man and woman can be called just that, and be equal. Marriage and Same Sex Union can be called that and be equal.

But that is not the agenda..... its so obvious by the arguments being made...

Its legally separate.

Do they get the same tax breaks? Health insurance? Other legal protections?

 

[Tough Guy]

"Gay agenda"? People still use that outdated rhetoric? Welcome back to the 90s, folks! I guess there are still dinosaurs that roam among us.

Which part do you take issue with? The fact that they are gay or that they have a political agenda?

Cook openly admits to both. In fact, he "celebrates" both.

 

[bandrews]

Its not separate. Its would be different name. That is NOT separate. Does calling a man and man, make him unequal to a woman who is called a woman, especially if they have all the same rights. Your argument is ridiculous.

Man and woman can be called just that, and be equal. Marriage and Same Sex Union can be called that and be equal.

But that is not the agenda..... its so obvious by the arguments being made...

What exactly is your concern? That gay marriage somehow weakens your marriage (assuming you're married). There are plenty of straight people - especially celebrities who have done a fine good job of "destroying the sanctity of marriage" long before gay people were allowed to "tie the knot" (which., incidentally is a pagan phrase stolen by Christians).

 

[brianvictor7]

For most of Christianity's history, marriage was in fact polygamous.... so, no, the definition of marriage is not and has not been consistent.

But even if it were, that's only a religious definition of it... entire religions have been invented so that kings could be divorced (and behead their former property). So, "sanctity of marriage" is a rather hilarious concept, theologically speaking.

God set the standard of 1 man and 1 woman. He gave allowances to the Ancients to have more than one wife to accomodate their cultural and economic realities. And just look at all the trouble that came from man's insistance on having more than one bride.

 

[calvol]

No wonder Tim put that little bend in the iPhone 6.

 

[yg17]

Its not separate. Its would be different name. That is NOT separate. Does calling a man and man, make him unequal to a woman who is called a woman, especially if they have all the same rights. Your argument is ridiculous.

Man and woman can be called just that, and be equal. Marriage and Same Sex Union can be called that and be equal.

But that is not the agenda..... its so obvious by the arguments being made...

It absolutely is separate. They want marriage. Not civil unions. MARRIAGE. All they want is to be treated the same as everybody else and not be told they're not allowed to get what straight people can get because of their sexual orientation.

Just like black people wanted to eat at the same restaurants, drink at the same drinking fountains, and **** in the same toilets as white people. Gays want the same marriage as straight people.

 

[AxoNeuron]

Straight from the dictionary and 1000's of years of history:

mar·riage
ˈmerij/
noun
1.
the legally or formally recognized union of a man and a woman

And 50+ years ago, it would have been defined as a formally recognized union of a man and woman of the same race

I don't know why people have such a hard time understanding that the dictionary is not static and that language and culture are highly fluid. Pick up a dictionary from 100 years ago and even the most closed minded of people today would be offended by some of the entries they would see.

 

[downpour]

Homophobe is what YOU want to call people. It does not make them one. Again, religious people are NOT making Tim Cook have a miserable life. That was the statement. It was a false statement. You make my point that religious people have the right to disagree with homosexuality just as others have the right to agree with it. Its the flat out lies that drives me crazy.

What word am I suposed to use other than Homophobe? It's defined as "an extreme and irrational aversion to homosexuality". Simply by being a straight man I have an aversion to homosexuality, the difference between me and someone who wants to make a claim it is inherently wrong is the irrational phobia part.

My comments about religious people making gay people's lives a misery were not meant to be exclusive to Tim Cook, although I'd be surprised if he had got through childhood without being bullied about it, surely you must recognise that is still very common. Of course in some very religious countries it is punishable by imprisonment or even death.

Saying someone has a right to disagree with hosexuality is like saying I have a right to disagree with mitosis.

 

[bsolar]

God set the standard of 1 man and 1 woman. He gave allowances to the Ancients to have more than one wife to accomodate their cultural and economic realities. And just look at all the trouble that came from man's insistance on having more than one bride.

Then we can all believe that he is giving allowances to we Moderns to accomodate our new cultural realities?

Because some christian churches did exactly that already, and it seems it's a popular trend.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

Most of us knew this, He is a very honorable decent guy. He is Captain of a very big ship, the fact he is gay doesn't bother me one bit

 

[rGiskard]

Exactly.

Who would CHOOSE to be gay? Look at all the discrimination that exists and our hetero-normative culture.

I'm proud that I'm gay and I won't apologize to anyone for it, but I certainly wouldn't have CHOSEN it. I've struggled enough to accept it and have been through a lot in life. I'm now a perfectly happy and productive person, but it isn't easy.

This!

Oddly enough, that argument often backfires in an interesting way. When I've brought it up with certain bigots, they've explained that guys choose to be gay because they want to have lots of consequence-free sex without the responsibility of marriage. Often they go on to denounce hedonism.

Notice the implicit assumption in their argument: gay sex is more enjoyable than hetero sex. Some gay-haters are clearly in serious denial about their own feelings and are likely plagued by self-hatred. Harboring a "forbidden" desire not only makes them hate gays and sex, it taints their entire view of the world.

 

[bsolar]

And 50+ years ago, it would have been defined as a formally recognized union of a man and woman of the same race

Thank you for allowing me to post an obligatory XKCD:

Alt: "People often say that same-sex marriage now is like interracial marriage in the 60s. But in terms of public opinion, same-sex marriage now is like interracial marriage in the 90s, when it had already been legal nationwide for 30 years."

 

[mattster16]

God set the standard of 1 man and 1 woman. He gave allowances to the Ancients to have more than one wife to accomodate their cultural and economic realities. And just look at all the trouble that came from man's insistance on having more than one bride.

Does this include the 'ancient' Mormons up until 1890?

Which year did god's allowances for marrying child brides end?

When did god get rid of his ban on interracial marriage?

 

[gnasher729]

God set the standard of 1 man and 1 woman. He gave allowances to the Ancients to have more than one wife to accomodate their cultural and economic realities. And just look at all the trouble that came from man's insistance on having more than one bride.

There is an obvious flaw in your argument. That's the assumption that there is such a thing as "god". Since there isn't, your argument is void.

 

[Meister]

Homosexuality is not a behavior. People don't choose to be homosexual. My choice of the word "bigot" was absolutely apt. You're using your religion as an excuse to mask your bigotry.

This post is just plain nonsense to justify calling people bigots.

 

[briankeith513]

You do get that if you "choose" to have sex with people of the same sex you are not gay, right?



You're just sexually open.



There IS a difference. If you are attracted to and fall in love with persons of the same sex exclusively and are not attracted to persons of the opposite sex in a romantic OR a sexual way? You are gay.



Plenty of gay men and women think that persons of the opposite sex are good-looking. They're not blind. They just don't fall in love with them or want to enter into romantic relationships with them.



Same thing goes for heterosexuals, just reverse it.

Wow, I'm not against homosexuals, but this is a little much. If a man actually willingly has sex with another man, he's NOT gay? I think now, I've heard it all lol.

 

[Intelligent]

I though everyone already knew this?

 

[Meister]

Well said.

I hate people who hate cats.

 

[Dionte]

That's great, he seems like he had a really good spirit. I wish tmobile had the 128 gig iPad, I sent my iPad 3 to Amazon yesterday. 18 states to go #MarriageEquality