"Melissa Etheridge is an Academy Award-winning and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter"I was searching the internet looking at various blog sites and trying to find a topic for my blog, when I stumbled across the blog of Melissa Etheridge. In her blog, Melissa speaks of her dismay at the passing of Proposition 8 (the banning of same-sex marriage) in her beloved home of California. She then questions weather she should even have to pay her state taxes, since she doesn’t receive all of her rights and benefits that other people in the state do, so she isn’t even considered a full citizen at this point.
I personally agree with Ms. Etheridge. If a tax-paying state citizen does not receive the same rights as another state citizen, then they are pretty much considered a “second rate” citizen.
So why should you pay taxes, to a state that doesn’t give you all your rights?
And it doesn’t just end with Ms. Etheridge. Gay marriage is all over the media, and there are a lot of people who have something to say about it. What I think is that the denial of rights to one group of people is the result of the fear of that group of people. The struggle of gay rights can even be compared to the struggle of Woman’s rights, and African American rights. And eventually, the white man got over his ego, and realized that a little bit of equality can make a lot of people very happy. I’m just going to quickly jump into an argument that is indeed pro gay marriage. If you are, let’s say, and extremely intolerant & close-minded person, then I will kindly ask you not to read this blog, because it’s not for the faint of mind. And also this is just purely my opinion, and I will respect your opinion, and hopefully you will do the same.
In the words of Henry Rollins (yummy)
“Why do some people get tripped up on what I think is the most entry level obstacle, it’s a curb this high. Homosexuals have a problem? No they don’t have a problem; they have a problem with dumb mother fuckers that can’t climb a curb that high.”
I am a firm believer in the rights of homosexuals, and the equal rights of all persons. I do not think that any one group of people should be denied a right that others are given without hesitation. In this essay I am determined to support my belief and reasoning, that same sex marriage should not be illegal. And I just want my readers to think, and to question the illegalization of gay marriage across America. I want to first address some of the things that homosexuals are denied when marriage is taken away from them, I then want to go over the opposing arguments promoting the anti-gay marriage ban and then give you my opinion on the matter.
Let us begin with the everyday rights, that heterosexuals U.S. citizens constantly take for granted, that are denied to same sex couples. In the state of Maryland alone, there are currently over four hundred state, and eleven hundred federal benefits and protections that homosexuals are denied (Marylanderformarriage.org). Among these rights are marriage, family and medical
leave(to care for a sick spouse) , the ability to ride in an ambulance with said spouse, and visitation rights in a hospital/nursing home where a partner is staying. Imagine what it would be like to be denied not only the traditional ceremony that comes with marriage, but the ability to have a marriage license with the person you love. Also imagine being in a relationship with the same person for years on end and never being able to file joint tax returns, inherit social security, veterans, or disability benefits of that person, or even visit them in the hospital. Pretty ridiculous huh? Don’t get me wrong, Civil rights has come a long way, it now grants woman equal legal status to their husbands, permit marriage licenses to be signed by non-clergy men, and interracial marriage is legal. So what is one more step? Well, as with any argument there are several different view points to be heard and I hope to go over a few of those now.
Many people believe that marriage is meant to be a sacred thing between a man and a woman and not intended by God, or that same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and it destroys the sanctity of family. Well, since technically America believes in the “Separation of church and state” we shall address the first two arguments separately. Through my research I have found nothing that points to the Christian Bible directly banning same-sex marriage. In fact, the bible says nothing of it. Furthermore God never “intended” anything, I really doubt that he planned the world to face massive genocide, inequality, poverty, disease, and all of the rest of the lovely things our world deals with on a daily basis. If he did, why should we hear what he has to say anyway? Adam and Eve never listened to him in the beginning, why start now? As for same-sex marriage being unconstitutional, from what I know of the amendments, there was never a 28th amendment saying anything about marriage being between only men and women, or even banning same-sex marriage. So how can something be unconstitutional if it is not even addressed in the constitution, oh wait, it can’t.
The final argument I’m going to attack is the one where the sanctity of the family lifestyle is at risk. I find this argument to be ridiculously hilarious! Because just look at where the family lifestyle is today? You have more kids on the street then you do in a happy, cozy, mom & dad home. Approximately 26% of children under 21 are being raised in a single parent home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau in August 2007. In the year 2000, 1,247 women and 440 men were killed by an intimate partner(Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief: Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001). Statistics aside, you have countless children coming from dark, and sometimes even deadly, homes. With all of that, I figure the sanctity of the family was long ago destroyed. And just because two people of the same sex cannot create a child together, does not mean they can’t raise a child, show me the psychological studies and the statistics of children raised by two moms or two dads that can’t properly function in this society, and I will step down. There are plenty of children to go around in a society of adoption and artificial insemination so the more married couples trying to start a family there are, the better. One last thing, Rose Marie Briggs of the family Leader Network, says that “Our laws should reflect what is best for our children, not what is best for adults.” Well, I hate to break it to you Rose, but those children, will become adults, and we should consider the type of world they will enter into as adults. Preferably a world that does not contain bigotry and discrimination in it’s laws.
Now that I have mutilated the opposing arguments, let me give you my side of the story and wrap this up. If we live in the land of the free, and we live in a society of equal opportunity, then why are we even bothering to deny any rights to any law abiding citizen. The way I see it, if you haven’t murdered, raped, or molested another man, woman, or child, then you should not be denied something as beautiful and basic as marriage, or equal rights to your fellow human. There is no proven harm(other than hate crimes) in allowing two people to marry, despite sex or race or even age. There is nothing in the bible that directly states that God is against same-sex marriage, and there is nothing in the constitution that makes same sex marriage unconstitutional. And that is all I have to say for myself.
I totally agree with everything that you have to say on the issue of same sex marriage. I, as a legally married adult, don’t have any opposition to same sex marriages. Many people want to argue that letting same sex partners marry would somehow diminish the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. I don’t agree with this theory, same sex marriages aren’t going to take anything away from my marriage with my husband and I don’t understand why you think that it might. I also agree that if a person has to follow all of the other state and federal laws, such as, paying taxes, ect. then why are they not privy to the same rights as others.
ReplyDeleteI have had friends who were gay and who have cared for someone that they’ve loved and been in a committed relationship with but then been denied being at the hospital at the end of their life and lost property and other assets because there were no laws to protect their union as a committed couple in the end. This is wrong and we should stand against it.
As for kids, well, I’m from the West Coast where things are a lot less conservative and I’ve known a great deal of same sex couples, even a few with kids. In one-long term relationship, between two women that I knew, I personally witnessed amazing parenting skills between these two women. They had two very well adjusted and educated young children with more of a “normal” family life than most of the children that my friends in “traditionally” parented households had. As a “traditionally” married women I don’t see why it’s any of my business who marries who and really don’t believe that anyone else’s preference will take anything away from me or my marriage.
As for the religious aspects of this issue, well, we are supposed to have religious freedoms in the US and not all churches disagree with same sex marriages. I have a friend who is a Unitarian and I know for a fact that the Unitarian church not only accepts gay couples but they also fight for gay/equal rights for all people. I attend a Methodist church and although the “traditional” beliefs don’t support same sex marriage most of our members aren’t apposed to this idea. I believe even if it isn’t your thing this issue isn’t harming anyone else and same sex partners should have the same rights across the board that I have as a married individual.