“I [so and so] take you to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, til death do us part, providing I am a woman and we are heterosexual.”
How romantic.
As ridiculous as the above quote sounds, it is the mantra of many who oppose the idea of gay marriage.
With the queer community becoming more visible and influential, we no lopnger deny them the right to a legal union at free will.
The influx of conservative opinion has stalled the legislation allowing members of the queer community to marry their partners.
President Bush’s White House lawyers currently are studying the law books trying to find a way to keep queer marriage out of our mainstream society.
Members of Congress have voiced their opposition to the idea of gay marriage.
Sen. Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, announced his support for the Constitutional amendment defining marriage as a bond only between a man and woman.
But many European nations, Canada and states such as Massachusetts are paving the way for civil rights by beginning the process of breaking down the archaic laws prohibiting the marriage of same-sex partners.
According to an article by Carl Weiser of the Gannett News Service, a ruling is expected any day from the highest court in Massachusetts.
Many believe the court will legalize the marriage of gay couples and an equal court in New Jersey will then do the same.
We hope Louisiana is next.
In an interview with Weiser, Evan Wolfson, the executive director of Freedom to Marry, a group pushing for the legalization of same-sex marriages, said “Americans should not have to once again take the Underground Railroad to places like Canada to get the equal rights we all deserve here at home.”
We couldn’t agree with you more, Evan.
Many who oppose the idea of same-sex marriage use religious or doctrinal beliefs to support their view, saying it would sicken and warp the foundation of our nation.
They said the same thing about the integration of whites and blacks.
Those in opposition also say the legalization would open the floodgates for the legalization of beastiality, incest and other deviant sexual practices.
You tell us when your horse wants to go pick up your child from school and share a bank account with you. Then we’ll talk.
The legal benefits of marriage have nothing to do with religion. Getting Social Security should not be reserved for those who are heterosexual.
Social Security, however, usually is the least important worry for many gay couples. They are more concerned because their partner cannot legally pick up their child from school or have final discretion when it comes time to make decisions about their loved one’s health and property.
Note to the opponents of same-sex marriage: Stopping the legal marriage of the gay community will not stop people from practicing homosexuality. Nor will it affect your religion.
In parallel, by keeping the queer community out of legal wedlock, we are keeping the blacks at the back of the bus and leaving women without the right to vote.
You may ask how we came to such a drastic realization.
Our society took a step in the right direction when we allowed blacks to sit next to us on the bus.
We took a step in the right direction when we realized women could think for themselves and help elect our officials.
The above are all examples of unmerited prejudice that formerly weighed down our culture with oppression and misunderstanding.
We are keeping partners who are in love out of legal marriage simply because they do not share our sexual orientation.
Do they not love like we do? Is gay love subordinate to heterosexual love?
It is not our job to say who has the right to live a happy and fulfilling life. The Constitution did that for us.
Our society would be remiss and arrogant if we thought we had a more genuine or “real” love than those in the queer community.
Gay marriage WILL happen.
We only hope that those of you who feel uncomfortable with this thought take this opportunity to realize the people you are hurting.
You are not stopping homosexuality. You are just making gay people angry and more motivated to incite change.
Gay people are citizens of this country too. They deserve the same rights that everyone else has. Period.