What's that -- in the dark, over there in the corner? Let's shine a light on that and take a look at it.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
— from “The Declaration of Independence”
I am more than just disappointed at the people of California who voted this week to ban gay marriage through Proposition 8.
Now, I have no personal stake in this; I have no desire to get married, and I’m not gay. But what if I did have a stake in it? Why would it be of any concern at all to anybody else?
Besides, I’m an American. And in America, the document quoted above has guaranteed us the right to the pursuit of happiness. And what in the world is more fundamental to that happiness than the choice of the person we love?
Banning gay marriage makes straight people legally superior to gay people. LEGALLY SUPERIOR. The straight people, being a higher percentage of the populace, can virtually decide what the minority, who by definition will NEVER BE a majority, can and can’t do. One group can force its religious beliefs on people who don’t share those religious beliefs.
If you really look at it, this is an unconstitutional decision. It’s also really hateful and repugnant. You don’t like homosexuality? OK. Don’t be gay. You don’t think gay people should be married? Then don’t marry one.
I actually encourage gay marriage. It promotes a healthier lifestyle choice. It builds stability in a relationship and generates a stronger community. If you ask gay people why they want to be married, do you know what they’ll probably say? “We love each other and we want to be together, to build a life together, to grow old together, maybe even bring up children. We want to have the legal right to visit each other in the hospital, to make decisions for each other in emergency situations, to own property together and inherit that property from each other.” Just like anybody else. So, are we all equal, or not?
The Beatles song says, “All you need is love.” Of course, they didn’t live in California.