When Kentuckians went to the polls yesterday, their votes were nothing more than formalities. The Presidential primaries have already been long over. In November, when we return to the polls, however, votes will be of utmost important. The fate of our country for the next four years is up in the air. But that’s not all. Kentuckians will also vote on whether or not there should be a constitutional ban on gay marriage. This is an issue that also deserves attention. For many people, it’s about a future that is more than four years long.
The debate over gay marriage is being fought coast to coast. San Francisco was host to thousands of gay couples saying their vows. Massachusetts just approved gay marriage. Bush is pushing for a US Constitutional ban on it. A Courier-Journal poll shows that 70% of Kentuckians support a statewide constitutional ban. I’m hoping that by the time the issue comes up for a vote, those numbers will be reversed and at least 70% of Kentuckians will oppose such a ban. It’s a matter of equal rights, folks. You might as well ban the right of blacks or disabled people to get married.
Gay marriage is such an issue because, although we live in a country where Church and State are separate, we are in fact a highly religious country. “Marriage” for many people has sacred connotations denoting it as a union between a man and a woman that is blessed by God. This is not truly the case, as it is already possible to have marriages at the court house or any number of other places where religion or God is not once invoked. Also, anyone who can look at divorce and domestic abuse rates and tell me that marriage is sacred is crazy. I’m not saying it shouldn’t be, but when over 50% of marriages end in divorce and when people get married one, two, three, four times, I must argue that a lot of people don’t take it as a serious sacred commitment.
Our fear of allowing gay marriages also stems from the homophobia, both latent and forthright, that is prevalent in our society. Many people still see homosexuality as sinful, as an unnatural choice that people make. Spend some time thinking about it and tell me why you think anyone would choose to be homosexual. People don’t set themselves up to be discriminated against and hated. Why would anyone choose such a difficult life? They wouldn’t. Gay people don’t choose to love people of the same sex anymore than I choose to love people of the opposite sex. Being gay is not a new fad. It’s not a rebellion against society. Since the beginning of time, there have been gay people…it was actually much more accepted then than it is now. Reference Roman baths as a very simple example. And yes, the joining of a man and a woman is necessary for the continuation of the species, but I don’t think homosexuality is going to cause the extinction of the human race. Nuclear weapons, war, and terrorism maybe, but not homosexuality. As for it being “unnatural,” there are thousands of examples of homosexual behavior among animals with no capacity for rational thought. They obviously didn’t “choose” to be gay, they just acted. And for all people who like to spout their Christian theology as a reason for opposing homosexuality and gay marriage, remember “Judge not lest ye be judged.” The next homosexual person you meet could be your daughter, son, sister, or brother.
So tell me now why you oppose gay marriages. Why are you unwilling to extend the same rights you enjoy to all American citizens? Gay marriages won’t devalue your marriage. Gays are not going to convert people to “their way”. Your lifestyle is not at all threatened. In fact, if you believe in commitment, monogamy, and all those other values that go along with your marriage, you should be all for gay marriage. How can you find anything wrong with someone willing to say that they will do their very best to spend their life loving, cherishing, and caring for another human being? If the term “marriage” still bothers you, change it. I don’t think that’s the main issue at hand. Call it civil unions. Gays and lesbians aren’t demanding that the state intervene and force religious institutions to allow them to have church weddings. They simply want the kind of civil service that grants them recognition as committed partners. They want to have the right to make decisions for their significant other should that person be in a life or death situation. They want to be able to go back into the hospital room of their significant other when the situation is “family only.” They want to receive insurance benefits from their partner’s insurance. They want to function as a married couple when it’s time to do things like sign a loan, open a bank account, buy a house, use a credit card, plan for retirement, etc. All they want are the same rights that those of us who happen to be heterosexual take for granted every day. What harm is going to befall you if homosexuals are granted these rights? If your son, daughter, brother, or sister were gay wouldn’t you want them to have these rights?
Before the time to vote rolls around again, please consider your stance on this position. We each only get one life with a certain amount of days to seek that which makes life worth living – love, joy, peace. Who are we to stand in the way of someone else’s chance at happiness? Vote in opposition to a constitutional ban on gay marriage.
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