The marriage equality battle being waged on the Duggars’ Facebook page is still going on. The family is trying to put it behind them and move on with their life, but it is still a hot topic. Even when they got out of town for a trip to a Christian liberal arts college, the press followed them with headlines about the “kissing scandal”.
Jessa Duggar and her new hubby Ben Seewald decided to keep their first kiss private rather than share it with all the expectant folks at their wedding. But to keep their fans happy, they wound up posting a kissy pic to Instagram a few days later.
Then mom Michelle and dad Jim Bob followed suit, posting a copycat pic of their own kiss. The message: We’re not prudes. We Don’t mind a little PDA. Just keep it in the marriage.
Both pictures went viral. In a week that saw a swing from a couple waiting until they were married all the way to Kim Kardashian nearly breaking the Internet with her bare bottom and full-frontal hijinks, there was a wide range of sexual mores on display.
But then the Duggars went for another level. they issued a “kissing challenge” on their Facebook page that invited other couples to post their own pictures of their PDA moments.
Many did. But not all were welcome. Some of those pictures were of same-sex pairs kissing. The Duggars are pretty traditional when it comes to sexuality and marriage, if you hadn’t noticed. They even specified in their challnge post that they believe that, “God designed marriage to be a loving, dynamic relationship between a husband and wife for a lifetime.”
So they started deleting those same-sex pics. And that’s when it hit the fan.
Since those pics have been deleted from the Duggar page, you have to see them in screenshots grabbed by some quick bloggers here.
Some same-sex marriage supporters took up the cause and started flooding the Duggar page with pictures of men kissing men, women kissing women. The Duggars responded with another statement.
Strong opinions flew on both sides of the marriage equality issue, with the Duggar page as the battlefield. Comments were flung quickly.
“A difference in opinion doesn’t condone legislating discrimination or campaigning against the civil rights of other humans. That’s hate, and it’s never okay. CIVIL rights belong to everyone, regardless of religion. If your religion tells you that others are less than you, it’s not a loving religion. It’s hatred masked with a tax free status.”
“Saying that being gay is a ‘lifestyle choice’ is a lie.”
“Same thing racists used to say back in the day about interracial marriages. Stop discriminating. It takes away your credibility as a Christian”
“Either way we will get our rights and you will continue to be portrayed as the intolerant, hate mongers you are! No better than the whites against segregation back in the 50’s and 60’s.”
“I am gay and support your freedom to secure your values on your personal page. I also appreciate the positive response from you regarding the recent events. That being said, I will pray for you all too and hope that you enjoy a blessed upcoming holiday season.”
Some see the “activism” on a page like the Duggars’ as inappropriate, even if they agree with the marriage equality message.
“It’s your page. You set the rules. It was disrespectful for them to post here….knowing your stand convictions.”