 "Photo: Brendan Andrews/Guest Cartoon")
Proposition 8 of California, one of the major props on the country, was passed by the residence on November 4th.
California has set the gay community back many steps to their equality, by approving the ban on gay marriage. As their new constitution will read "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California" or, better put, as the ballot stated ""Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry."
That is what this proposition did; it eliminated the right for gay couples to become married. They took what little equality that gay Americans had, and threw it back into obscurity.
Even all of our major politicians; referring to John McCain, Sarah Palin, Joe Biden, and even Barack Obama; all oppose the right of these people to be happy.
If someone is against gay marriage, the question must arise, "Why?" It could easily be defended that Bible says, in Leviticus 18:22, "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable."
To this, one must be directed to the book of Matthew, as many Christian sources call it "the Golden Rule." As it says in Matthew 7:12, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
It may be more familiar to your lexicon if I word as such, "Do unto others." For the people who voted for this proposition, or who oppose gay marriage to any extent, how would it feel to be told that you are not allowed to be married to the person you love so dearly? How would it feel to be told you can’t see your soul mate on their deathbed in their final hours on Earth because you are “immediate family”?
Something else to point out, in a secular society, which America is, why should be bound by a religion's view? Contrary to the beliefs of some, America is not a Christian nation, nor was it founded by Christians. We were founded upon the freedom of religion or lack thereof, and we should not favor one religion's view more than any others.
Typically, when one looks at an issue, there is a secular sequence of reasoning to favor or oppose it. This writer has yet to hear one reason, non-biblical, to oppose the marriage of gay couples. And who is to say that marriage solely belongs to Christianity, and that doctrine can determine who can and cannot be allowed in?
Many point to "civil unions" as an appropriate substitute for "marriage." Quotes are used in the preceding sentence because they are merely names. To take a popular phrase that has been ridiculed by the common media "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig."
To the argument that gay marriage would be redefining "marriage," attention must be paid to 1967. In 1967, Loving v. Virginia took place. In this Supreme Court case, Mildred Loving, was married to Richard Loving in 1958 in the District of Columbia. The catch is, Mildred is of Native American decent, while Richard is of white decent. Sadly, in Virginia, interracial marriage was banned.
Fortunately, the court ruled in favor of Loving, and announced that laws against interracial marriage were racist, and had been enacted to perpetuate white supremacy.
How does this relate to the dispute of gay marriage? If we had not redefined marriage in 1967 to include other races, then where would we be? This was a major turning point in the civil rights movement. It's also important to note, that President-Elect Obama's parents are an interracial couple. As Keith Olbermann pointed out, "The parents of the President-Elect of the United States couldn't have married in nearly one third of the states of the country their son grew up to lead."
As of right now, 38 states have statutes or constitutions that ban gay marriage. That is 76% of the country.
In Washington State, it is illegal to get gay married. From the Washington State Legislature, SJR 8219 "Marriage in Washington state shall consist solely of two persons, a male and a female. The uniting of two persons other than a male and a female in any marital relationship is not valid in this state, and, although valid in another jurisdiction, is not recognized as valid in this state. The legislature may provide for such restrictions or sanctions on marriage related to age or degree of kinship as it deems necessary."
Here we stand, in the way of letting people find love. In the way of letting people have the chance of finding someone to spend their life with, someone to be theirs. Who are we to deny them the right to find love? When will Americans finally treat gay couples, like people; people with the same rights that we have?
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