Senator Rob Portman, Capitulation, and Things of the Heart

Influence and change are strange creatures. CNN reports that Ohio Senator Rob Portman just disclosed:

• "I'm announcing today a change of heart on an issue that a lot of people feel strongly about that has to do with gay couples' opportunity to marry," http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/15/politics/portman-gay-marriage/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

• "I've come to the conclusion that for me, personally, I think this is something that we should allow people to do, to get married, and to have the joy and stability of marriage that I've had for over 26 years. That I want all of my children to have, including our son, who is gay."

The last consideration had made all the difference for Portman – “our son…is gay.” But why should this make the difference? Applying this logic elsewhere:

• My son is a thief, and therefore I have come to accept thievery, or
• My son wants to marry a second man, so I’ve come to accept homosexual polygamy. That’s just who he is, or,
• My son now wants his married threesome to include a teenager, and I have to respect who he really is.

Of course, this reasoning is absurd, but this is the controlling thought of the day – We are our desires, and society must affirm our desires. If society fails to do this, it is denying our human rights!

Actually, the question has never been gay marriage. Gays can informally marry anyone they so choose. Instead, the issue is social affirmation, its promotion within all levels of society, and even the prohibition of anyone speaking against this behavior.

Before “coming out,” Portman sought the advice of someone who he could really trust - Dick Cheney, whose daughter is gay:

• Cheney's advice was simple: "Follow your heart."

It is easy to “follow your heart” if you’re taking the heat:

• In 2011, 100 University of Michigan law school graduates walked out of Portman's commencement address to protest his [then disapproval of] gay rights after circulating a petition trying to get him removed as the event's speaker.

We find that our heart is always relieved when we adopt the popular, militant position. But what about the mind? What about the statistics that reveal that gays experience heightened levels of disease, abbreviated lives, suicide, substance abuse and depression, even in countries where this lifestyle is thoroughly accepted?

When we put aside the mind, capitulation becomes easy, in fact, even heroic before the likes of CNN, the universities and the media. Who wouldn’t want to go with the heart? The person with convictions!