Thurman James -- World News Trust
Sept. 26, 2009 -- For as long as anyone living today can remember, the United States of America has prided itself on being the melting pot of the world. We live in a gloriously diverse society filled with people from all parts of the globe and representing an enormous variety of religious and ethnic backgrounds.
At this point in the history of our nation one would think that we would have learned to coexist with people not like ourselves. One would be mistaken. Bigotry and prejudice of all kinds abound in American culture, but perhaps no where else is our discrimination as blatantly regressive than our denial of civil rights to gay and transgendered people.
Until now I've remained silent on the issue of same sex marriage because, as a straight person, I felt that my opinion wasn't really relevant. But was I wrong, and I cannot allow my silence to be perceived as acceptance of this or any other form of bigotry any longer.
Unless you are a gay person who wants to be married and are barred from doing so, this issue really doesn't make much difference in your personal life. That's why most straight people spend so little time thinking about it, but in truth, anything that diminishes one among us, diminishes all of us. Same sex couples are just like the rest of us and should be afforded, by law if necessary, the same civil and human rights that we all expect and demand for ourselves and our children.
I fail to see how anything two people do together in the privacy of their home has any bearing on my life or my family. The fact that a couple may have matching sets of biological plumbing doesn't diminish the relationship my wife and I enjoy. It certainly doesn't weaken my family or otherwise harm society when two same gendered people decide to make lifetime commitments to each other. Diversity only strengthens our communities.
The most vocal opponents of equal civil rights for homosexuals are religious fundamentalists -- the same people who many times would prefer a theocracy based on their own narrow ideology to the democratic republic we have today. Iran, a theocratic state, and the Taliban of Afghanistan are fine examples of religious fundamentalism run amok. Intolerance is evil, regardless of who's name it is practiced in or where it happens.
Many social customs are based on ancient religious beliefs passed down through the ages by translators of dubious intent. While no one should be forbidden to worship whatever god they understand, no person or group's beliefs should ever be imposed upon the rest of society. If your religion forbids certain activities - alcohol consumption, homosexual marriage, assisted suicide, etc., then by all means do not participate in those activities, but don't subvert the civil rights of those who may not share your beliefs.
The biggest argument against same sex marriage involves a violation of the biblical definition of marriage - that matrimony is the exclusive dominion of one man and one woman. Since that definition is derived from the scriptural documents of the Abrahamic faiths, the issuance of marriage licenses by government constitutes the establishment of religion.
Having exhausted all other means of social discourse, the solution to the same sex marriage dilemma comes down to legal hair splitting and the answer is clear and simple: all government sanctioned marriages are unconstitutional.
Any legally recognized union between two people, referred to as a marriage, is a violation of our federal constitution by state and local governments. The only ethical solution would be to prohibit the issuance of state marriage licenses to all couples, regardless of gender.
Going forward, state governments should only issue domestic partnership contracts and recognize them as civil unions. Once the legal requirements of a civil union are met and the appropriate documents filed, couples would be free to visit the religious institution of their choice and have any ceremony they prefer. Religious institutions would be under no obligation to perform services nor would couples be obliged to hold any such rituals.
Over simplified? Yes, but that's the point.
Prohibition of gay marriage is just one more wedge issue used by the Fraternal Order of Societal Witchdoctors. Acting with the full the blessing of our corporate overlords, these prophets of hate and bigotry keep the little people busy fighting with each other. Meanwhile, abuses that more directly affect their profits; subversion of labor rights, resource inequalities, and corporate welfare fly under the radar. We've allowed a basic human right be turned into a tool used to further divide humanity against itself.
I often wonder how mankind managed to build such great civilizations, invent such amazing technologies, and even send our own kind to the moon and back, yet we still haven't figured out the most basic of all truths: we are all just people. No more and no less.
LINK: thurman-james.blogspot.com
