A 2012 speech by a gay marriage activist has gone viral, with many pointing out an idea that some have believed is at the core of the activist movement to get gay marriage legalized at the federal level. On radio, Glenn played the audio of Masha Gessen claiming that the fight for gay marriage is about redefining the traditional family and that it's a no-brainer that the institution of marriage should not exist. Glenn played the shocking audio on radio this morning.
"In a speech just given by Masha Gessen, she is an author and outspoken activist for the LGBT community. She says that many supporters of traditional marriage, what they have speculated for years, she says that it's true: The push for gay marriage has less to do with the right to marry. She says it's about diminishing and eventually destroying the institution of marriage and redefining the traditional family," Glenn said.
In her speech, Gessen told the crowd:
I agree, it's a no‑brainer that we should have the right to marry, but I also think equally that it's a no‑brainer that the institution of marriage should not exist....
That causes my brain some trouble, and part of it why it causes me trouble is because fighting for gay marriage generally involves lying about what we're going to do with marriage when we get there, you know, because we lie that the institution of marriage is not going to change, and that is a lie. The institution of marriage is going to change and it should change. And again I don't think it should exist. And I don't like taking part in creating fictions about my life. That's sort of not what I had in mind when I came out 30 years ago.
Glenn said that her argument shows the progressive agenda with gay marriage is really about transforming the institution of marriage through the government. He said that once personal conscious and faith are replaced by a collective conscious through the government, it will no longer be acceptable for churches to only define marriage as between a man and a woman.
"Once the State says 'This is the way it goes,' that's the way it's going to go," Glenn said.
He also said that this story also needs to be looked at in a broader context and beside other major stories in the news today. He specifically pointed out the Romeike family and the comments made by Melissa Harris-Perry as examples of progressives looking to fundamentally transform the definition of family and the role that parents play in their children's lives.
Glenn did say that he had no problem with Gessen and appreciated her honesty.
Glenn gave his own views on gay marriage, which boil down to the idea that anyone can marry anyone they choose. However, he doesn't want his church or any church to be forced to recognize gay marriage if it's inconsistent with their beliefs. He warned that once government defines marriage, faith and churches are taken out of the equation.
"I know where I get the value from my marriage, and I get it from my faith and from my God. It is a contract, a covenant between me and my spouse with God. That's what marriage is," Glenn explained, "The question we should be asking ourselves is why is government defining marriage? Why is government even in the marriage business? It shouldn't be in the marriage business because once it's in the marriage business, then it chooses. And once it chooses, well, now you've got something else going on. Now your church is not going to not be able to marry gay couples."