You’ve seen and heard it everywhere—from bumper stickers, lawn signs and billboards to the mouths of celebrities and politicians: “Love is love.”
It sounds nice. Caring. Non-confrontational. But when you really stop and think about it, this phrase does a lot more than express an idea about affection—it’s a deceptive slogan and an instrument of ideology. Those who use the phrase, intentional or not, are seeking to shut down any meaningful discussion about what love is and what marriage is for. And worse, people’s desire to be compassionate is being weaponized in ways that undermine objective truth, biology, freedom of conscience and viewpoint diversity.
Today, “Love is love” is often the go-to slogan to push for laws like the so-called Fairness Act here in Pennsylvania. Advocates will insist, “We just want to be left alone.” But history and headlines tell another story. From cake artists and photographers to foster agencies and religious schools, this ideology doesn’t stop at coexisting—it demands full affirmation. And when you say, “No, I see the world differently,” it punishes you.
We see this in legal cases across the country where the government has forced individuals, doctors, schools, ministries, and even churches to align with a view of marriage and sexuality that contradicts Scripture, conscience, and biological reality. This isn’t live-and-let-live. It’s conform or be crushed.
That’s why we are sharing with you this helpful What Would You Say video from the Colson Center. It takes the deceptively simple phrase “love is love” and examines what’s actually being assumed—and what’s actually at stake.
Let’s briefly walk through the key points:
1. Not all love is the same.
Humans experience different kinds of love. The love between parents and children. Between siblings. Between lifelong friends. We recognize these as real, sincere, even sacrificial—but not sexual.
“Love is love” blurs those necessary distinctions. It reduces all relationships to feelings and romantic desire, ignoring that not every kind of affection justifies sex or marriage. In fact, many sexual relationships that are emotionally intense can still be unloving and are harmful. Knowing the difference is essential to a healthy society.
2. Our bodies matter.
Sex is not just emotional—it’s physical. It involves our bodies, which are male or female, with real biological differences and natural design.
Heterosexual unions have the inherent capacity to create life. Homosexual ones do not. That reality doesn’t change based on how intensely people feel. “Love is love” only works if we pretend our bodies don’t matter. But biology doesn’t bend to ideology.
3. If love alone justifies sexual intimacy, then anything goes.
Here’s where this gets dangerous. If the only standard for what makes a relationship acceptable is emotional sincerity—then on what basis can society say no to polyamory? To consensual incest? Or to grooming children for future consent?
Even the idea of “consent” quickly becomes inadequate when there’s no moral standard beyond “people want to.” This is why every stable civilization throughout history has drawn moral boundaries around sexual behavior.
But “love is love” demands we erase moral boundaries, all in the name of affirmation. No matter your feelings, that is not biblical.
So no—“love is love” isn’t just a kind or harmless phrase. It’s a linguistic battering ram being used to discourage viewpoint diversity, and to take down the foundations of marriage, family, and moral reasoning. It is being baked into public policy, including legislation like the Fairness Act, which would enshrine this ideology into Pennsylvania law, giving our state government the power to punish good people and ministries for their views on human sexuality and marriage.
They say, “We just want equal treatment.” But in practice, it means religious schools and ministries losing their freedom to hire in alignment with their sincerely held religious views. It means individuals being forced to use preferred pronouns. It means business owners sued for refusing to celebrate messages they disagree with.
They don’t want tolerance. They want ideological submission.
Here’s what you can do:
- Watch the full Colson Center video above to better understand how to respond when someone repeats this phrase.
- Share this blog and video with your church or small group. Truth is loving, and people need help discerning what’s actually being said in our culture’s slogans.
- Learn more about the Equality Act at our Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Policy Issues page.
- Contact your State Representative and State Senator to oppose House Bill 300, the so-called “Fairness Act.”
Let’s not confuse sentiment for truth.
Real love isn’t just about feelings—it’s about what’s true, what’s right, and what leads to human flourishing.
We are called to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). That means pushing back on empty slogans and standing firm for God’s design for love, marriage, and family—even when it’s unpopular.
Because real love doesn’t lie.
