TV Watch: 30 Days, Same Sex Parenting

There are those, I assume, who would watch this episode and perhaps walk away thinking they just watched a woman who held true to her beliefs in the face of adversity.

If I'm to believe polls that say that a majority of people in this country still oppose equal rights for gay people, then apparently it would be a lot of people. As Kati, a Christian mom (and also an adopted child herself) goes off to live with two gay men and their four adopted kids - we get to see that adversity over and over again.

The problem that turns the episode into such a clunker is that it becomes pretty clear early on that Kati's goal for the exercise isn't to learn anything in particular but to hold firm to conviction that homosexuality is just wrong, wrong, wrong and that kids shouldn't be allowed around them.

Does the fact that the four kids raised by the two gay men seem healthy and well behaved dent her conviction? Not at all. Does the fact that one of the kids didn't even speak before living with the two gay men sway her belief? Not an iota. Does visiting the broken down foster homes where these kids could have ended up if her fight to make same sex parenting illegal move her? Well, briefly to tears it does ... but then she is quick to remind us that being gay is just wrong, wrong, wrong.

When confronted by nearly the whole set of one of the adopted kid's biological family, several of whom admitted they were worried about the Gay Agenda (TM) when they found out where the kid was going - and they confessed that the child had a much better life with the two gay men ... she screams that she is being prosecuted and storms off to the house.

At one point during the show, Kati says that she just wanted to see some facts. And yet, when presented with anything factual - she simply falls on her bible. We continually hear the same cognitive dissonance that this circle of intolerance spouts. About how they are the victims here, because clearly two gay men raising four healthy young kids half way across the country is "stepping on her toes" (her exact words). About she doesn't disrespect these people - she just believes that the happiest things in their life should be illegal, banned and swept under the bed.

Spurlock does try to flesh out some of the other side's viewpoint, including a brief (but potentially not brief enough) interview with a woman who feels she was wronged by her gay adoptive father for his sexual ways. And it sounds like she was wronged by her gay adoptive father for his sexual ways - but not because he was gay but because he was a creepy jerk.

Which is, in the end, where Kati's supposed search for facts falls finally with a resounding thud. At one point she is being forced (and complains about doing so) to hand out posters for a local gay rights group and in the process is asked why she would ban good gay parents and keep bad straight parents legal?

Religion isn't supposed to drive our legal system and there are few good reason why. For one thing, anytime a religion requires a law in order to justify itself - it ceases being a religion and becomes instead a system of governance. Secondly, religion often makes for poor logical arguments even when it makes for decent exercises in faith.

And finally, it ignores completely the basic concept of liberty to which we should hold dear. As much as Kati might feel like a victim, nobody in Michigan is trying to tell her what to do in her own home, place of work, or church. On the flipside - she is trying to remove these two men's entire life at home.

My Grandmother was one of the great God fearing women of her time. And she would tell you that simply isn't terribly Christian.

What's interesting about 30 Days I think is that often the story is as much a reflection of the specific people involved as opposed to mixing experiences. Take "30 Days In A Wheelchair", which shows as much revelation about being disabled and the hardships and struggles involved as it shows that Ray Crockett is really one hell of a guy.

While I'm sure there are some that watched "Same Sex Parenting" and walked with the thinking that Kati simply held to her beliefs - I got a lot more joy out of watching Ray empathize with his fellow people.