In the upcoming election in California, there is a proposition which would amend the state constitution and make it so that gay couples are ineligible to be married. Many states are going through similar battles. Morals are being spat on, protests are popping up all across the country, everyone seems to be preaching their own insight in hopes of swaying a few more minds. This moral dilemma seems to have enraptured the hearts of many, but still, many have standpoints but don’t know why and many have standpoints built on rotting foundations. It seems like too many people are willing to preach what they believe, but too many times it is without reason. In this I will attempt to present my own reasons as well as refute many of the common arguments I have been hearing.
To begin, I’d like to give a brief history lesson.
December 15, 1791; the bill of rights is ratified. In it, our founding fathers state that “congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
December 6, 1865; another constitutional amendment states that “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
February 3, 1870; and another… “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
August 18, 1920; and another… “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any States on account of sex.”
Each constitutional amendment we have passed to this point in time is one that gives people more rights; there is not one that takes any away nor limits them.
They tell us that one sad truth of life is that history, all too frequently repeats itself. In hopes of changing this, however, we are taught and schooled throughout the many years and lessons of our ancestors, and are told to learn from it. But what have we learned?
Around 200 years ago, Americans believed that blacks were on this planet to serve whites. According to our religions, they were lesser species. They were gifts from God himself to help us white people along in the world. We did not question this, for why should we? They were different than we were.
100 years ago, it was common knowledge that women were less than men. Things like politics were far too complicated for a woman, and we accepted this. Our churches did not tell us any differently, nor did our schools or our parents, so why should we think any differently? It was the way of life. To announce that women are on the same mental level was to doubt the very nature of things, the very nature of life as we knew it.
This all changed, however. Many people stood up and fought against the tyrannies of oppression, they were looked down upon, spat upon, and deemed sinners. But with time, more people began to think more liberally, more began to accept differences more openly, and thus, blacks got liberty, women got the right to vote. In general, we tend to deem any difference wrong, but with time we come to accept. How accepting is America to the differences of its people? How accepting are we of gays? What have we learned from our history?
I am not writing this to blame. I am not writing this to point fingers. I am writing this to question. What have we learned?
”Gay people shouldn’t have the same rights,” people will say, “they are different than we are.” Almost like an echo that has bounced off of far away mountains and came back to plague our country once more. Have blacks forgotten the blood that has been spilled fighting against this very same argument? “Two people of the same sex can’t be married,” the words flow out of our churches, “that goes against the very nature of things!” Have we already forgotten the tears and the cries of our grandmothers from only 100 years ago?
Are our memories that bad, or do we just choose to ignore them?
The fundamental belief against gay marriage spawns from religion. I will not try to convince you that your religion is wrong, nor will I try to tell you to disagree with it, but first I would like to remind you that the bible also told us it was right to have slaves:
Exodus 21:20-21 “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money.”
However, we overcame this belief because we all decided that times have changed. We decided that the bible, whether it was the word of God or not, was written by fallible human beings, and it is possible for them to be incorrect. We decided that He would approve of us treating others kindly rather than poorly, even if it went against the bible.
But gays and blacks are different? Fine. But who should be the final judge of their fate?
Luke 6:37 “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned, forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.”
John 3:11″For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”
Your religion tells you that He is the final judge. If you think that what they are doing is wrong, fine, but according to your religion, it is not your job to decide that.
If you believe in utilitarianism, or the belief that we should perform actions based upon the happiness it will bring to the majority, then ask yourself, who am I making happy by voting against this? Is it not true that when they die they will be punished for their sins? If you truly believe in your religion, you know that in time they will be punished accordingly and whether it is right or wrong will be determined by God himself. Let him do the judging, and until then, judge not, condemn not, and forgive. Who are you to strip them of their happiness?
What happiness are you bringing out by banning gay marriage? It is either you believe in happiness, or you believe in gay marriage, because no one benefits from banning it. The only thing that happens is quite the opposite, really. No one gains happiness, but the gay community loses it. How can you honestly say you believe in doing whatever makes the most happiness, but also vote against gay marriage? You must ask yourself, how will it affect you?
The most popular argument is that marriage is an act of religion. However, this argument has been outdated. In the past hundred years, marriage has also become a legal act. While a marriage can be religious, it is always legal. A marriage is not always religious, however. Marriage is the promise between two people, a bond of unrelenting love, and whether that vow is made under God or not is a decision of the couple. Many will question, “what makes it a legal issue?” Shortly after you get married, you are forced to take your marriage license in and get it signed. This form is a legal document, much like a birth certificate or a tax form. If you do not think that Gays should be allowed to marry under a christian church, that is fine. However, is it morally correct to deny them the same legal rights as everyone else?
The second common argument is that Gay marriage will shatter the churches tax exemptions. This argument is ridiculous. Gay marriages have been legal in the state of California for some time now, and no church has lost any money at all (other than to endorse political candidates perhaps). This is not even an argument, it is a simple lie.
The final argument I will address is the belief that if this law stays, gay marriage will be crammed down the throats of our children. I have two things to say about this as well. The first one being that any fear of your children being turned gay is almost a scientific impossibility. It has nearly been proven that being gay is strongly genetic and biological. It has been scientifically proven that gay men have a greater chance of having a counter-clockwise hair whorl. Yet another biological uniqueness may be found in the relative lengths of our fingers: The index fingers of most straight men are shorter than their ring fingers, while for most women they are closer in length, or even reversed in ratio. Gay men are likely to have finger-length ratios more in line with those of straight women, lesbians showed significantly masculinized ratios. Gay people have a 50% greater chance of being ambidextrous. Not enough to prove it to you? Fine. But since gay marriage has been passed, how much is being crammed down your children’s throats? When you asked them how their day at school was, have any of them responded, “we learned that it is okay for me to sleep with someone of the same sex?”
Voting for gay marriage does not mean that you support gays. It means that you believe they should have the ability to choose for themselves and we should not judge them. It means that you believe in equality for all, regardless of personal beliefs. It means that you do not believe the government should limit happiness. It means that you do not think the government should regulate the rights and equality of any human beings. It means that you do not support the idea of the first amendment to the constitution that takes away rights rather than giving them.
We must learn from our past and our history. We must strive for equality for all people regardless of you agreeing with them. Vote no on prop 8, and help push for marriage equality for all.
