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1. PEKEMO, how's about you start your own blog where you can restrict people from expressing their opinions to your hearts content.

   Forgive me if I happen to see an ad as an AD without getting all excited and teary eyed reading something more into it.

   You clearly don't know the difference between pessimism and realism.

   Posted by: Zeke | May 30, 2008 11:16:24 AM

   
   

2. Zeke, I'm assuming that your disgust with commercialism and your own personal insult by the very thought that someone would want your money blinded you to the rationale that I was clearly stating in my post. It appears that your comment flew prior to any reading comprehension that should have followed past my second sentence.

   Commercialism changes cultures. That's it, plain and simple. No good will, no kind gestures; people just acclimate and eventually accept (within reason!).

   So that I'm not accused of some sort of Pollyanna wisdom (or lack thereof), I realize that there will NEVER be complete acceptance of anything. I'm not sure the human race will survive itself, but I DO know that the flock mentality of the masses is easily influenced and nationally branded establishments like Macy's have the capacity to affect change.

   I understand your frustration, Zeke. If anyone wants anything of me, I don't want it to be solely because I am a man in love with another man. I desire people to want things from me that I can provide because of who I am as an individual. However, discovering and taking advantage of the opportunities in a new market is a very fundamental principle in which a capitalist economy exists.

   The larger picture is that Macy's, allowing for registration of male/male, female/female couples is basically creating a win-win situation. We get recognition and become "normalized" over a period of time, and Macy's makes a profit while being big enough to say "screw you" to fundamentalists that would seek to conform us all in their undying need to bend the will of the universe to their own immature microcosm.

   (For those of you who are economists, I realize that my description of capitalism is a broad generalization, but I'm trying to simplify a point.)

   Email me any time, Zeke. I always enjoy your input and I think that as a fellow Towleroad reader, your expressive viewpoint is a window into a segment of our world in which "family" takes on the mentally retarded assumptions of the masses and defies all to define you anything but "normal". You are a man whom I would certainly be proud to call my brother.

   Posted by: FizziekruntNT | May 30, 2008 11:38:59 AM

   
   

3. Yeah, but we could register at Target in 2001.

   I'll still hate ads that equate materialism with love, no matter the gender they're targeted to...

   Posted by: Crissa | May 30, 2008 6:43:38 PM

   
   

4. FIZZIEKRUNTNT, I understand what your saying. I think you have misunderstood what I was saying. I have nothing against capitalism, it's been quite good to me and my family. I don't have ANY problem with Macy's ad from a business point of view. It was a brilliant job of recognizing an opportunity to expand a developing market and exploiting it (in the most positive sense of the word) quickly and very effectively. I salute that. I never had an issue with that.

   My issue wasn't with them so much as it was with people reading too much into their intentions acting as if this was an endorsement of marriage equality.

   I totally agree with you that such ads do have positive consequences in the greater scheme of things because they do promote a sense of "normalization". My reading comprehension is just fine but your earlier comment didn't explain what you thought they did that was special and why we would should thank them. When I asked you to explain what they did that we should be thankful for I was very sincere. You gave me a good answer that I hadn't thought about. I appreciate that.

   I still believe that had I been on their ad team I would have suggested placing an announcement of congratulations without the registry ad first and then followed it up a week or so later with the registry ad. But that's just my opinion.

   Regardless I appreciate the effort.

   Thanks again FIZZIE and I would be proud to call you "brother" as well.

   Posted by: Zeke | May 30, 2008 7:13:06 PM

   
   

5. Well it's not an indictment of marriage equality, like we have in Michigan. If you think Macy's doesn't have to be supportive of gay marriage to want money from gay people who get married, think again. There is a beautiful wedding chapel in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan called Castle Farms. I went to their bridal show, I got on their mailing list. I almost got married there. Then I saw, in fine print at the bottom of some page in their information, that they don't allow commitment ceremonies on their property. Their excuse for this is that gay marriage is illegal in Michigan and they don't want to be involved with anything illegal; the trouble with this is of course that saying words in front of a crowd and having a party afterward is not illegal, and unless the couple in question were actually defrauding the state they would not be in violation of any laws.

   In contrast a straight couple's vow renewal isn't a legal marriage either but they allow those.

   This place stands to make about $15000 on average off every wedding that takes place there. But if the two people throwing the party don't have a penis and a vagina between them, Castle Farms doesn't want your green American dollars. Macy's does. And for that I applaud them.

   Posted by: slythwolf | May 31, 2008 4:14:41 PM

   
   
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