quote:
Originally posted by Dave the Wonder Boy:

I ask this as a serious exercise in allegory to gay rights:

If I want to marry a gerbil, or a horse, or my right fist, do I have a constitutional right to that, and my freedoms are restricted if I'm not granted this right?
Yes, they would be restricting your right to marry a gerbil, horse, or your right fist. However, since none of these things can consent to marrying you, it would be hard to hold a strong case in opposition. Takes two to tango.

quote:
Originally posted by Dave the Wonder Boy:

Or would such a legal union be a parody and an insult to true marriage, warping the definition of marriage beyond what is consistent and reasonable?
Depends on your intent, but I think it would be safe to label it a parody. Laws are not made to prevent people from being insulted, however.

quote:
Originally posted by Dave the Wonder Boy:

I could as easily argue that I should be able to marry a 12 year old girl, or a 10 year old girl, because it has previously been done, when human life expectancy averaged about 35 years (for most of human history), and therefore things like childhood and adolescence had to be skipped, in order to get on with the shorter business of life at that time.
Well, as you said, life expectancy was shorter back then.

Now, the legal minimum is what it is (it varies from state to state) because our governing bodies believe that people below the legal age limit do not generally have the maturity required to make this decision. Sexual orientation has no bearing on maturity, however, so we're talking apples and oranges.