Gay Rights

We need to get real here right now.

I typically avoid being overtly political because I assume any debate I make isn’t going to change your mind just like any debate you make isn’t going to change mine but can we talk about how ridiculous all these bans on gay marriage are?

I’m from South Dakota and I know some of the readers of this blog are also from South Dakota where we aren’t exactly known for social or political liberalism. I’m not here to try to change your minds about everything because I know that’s impossible and we live in a democracy meaning you don’t all have to believe what I believe.

That’s great. That means we can agree to disagree about a lot of things while still loving the same country.

The one thing we absolutely cannot agree on, however, is the second-class citizenship status of a large portion of our residents. Because any way you look at it, banning gay marriage is simply stripping someone of a right everyone else in the country has.

Most people that are opposed to gay marriage will recycle one of three logically ridiculous arguments.

1. God makes it a sin in the bible.

            This is so ridiculous I don’t even know where to begin. The bible also promotes polygamy, slavery, and misogyny. Does that mean all of those are right too? I think most people would agree that those things are morally wrong and the ideas completely outdated. So why, then, hold on to the hatred and fear of gay people?

            How can these people honestly ask me to vote based on a small statement they have taken out of a 2,000 year old book while dismissing other parts of it as no longer relevant to modern life? Let’s not forget the numerous other biblical laws that are no longer observed. Think of the 10 Commandments alone. Am I honestly supposed to believe that every person who uses the bible to back up their bigotry attends church every Sunday? Or has never taken the Lord’s name in vain? Or has never committed adultery (Newt Gingrich)? Yet here these people are using their religion to deny the rights of others.

            Am I the only one who remembers 1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love”? Or Matthew 7:10 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law of the Prophets"? I choose to believe this is what God truly means.

2. The sanctity of marriage needs to be protected

            This argument is similar to the biblical argument but I wanted to address this as something separate. Some people, even nonreligious ones, feel the sanctity of marriage needs to be protected.

            But protected from what? I've never heard an adequate response to this.

            In what possible way is the marriage of a heterosexual couple endangered in the least by the marriage of a homosexual one? Look at that sentence! There are two separate marriages between two separate sets of people. In no way does the union of one have any effect on the union of the other.

            Further, isn’t divorce considered dangerous to the sanctity of marriage? I think if you look at "marriage" and look at "divorce," you can't see divorce as anything BUT threatening to marriage's sanctity. Yet divorce rates are through the roof in this country and no one is making any motion to have divorce outlawed due to its danger to marriage.

3. The country was founded on marriage as being between a man and a woman

            Much like the bible, the country was also founded on slavery and the denial of voting rights to women and minorities.

The Constitution was written by revolutionary men who wanted to create a country that fit the needs of its people. The very Declaration of Independence states, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” This clearly shows that the founders—who’s supposed "vision" so many people quote—based this country on the idea that the nation could, and should, change to fit the needs of its people and the demands of the age. Attempting to live by an 18^th century code is as ridiculous and outdated as attempting to use a horse and wagon as a primary means of transportation.

And, of course, the part that most people conveniently leave out is the most famous line: “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. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men.”

            Look at that. The government’s purpose, according to the founders, is to make sure that these unalienable rights are secured. Instead, these are the very rights that are being taken away in state after state.

            How can we, as Americans, continue to claim that our country believes in equality when a good portion of our residents don’t even have the most basic right: the right to live a full and happy life LEGALLY with the person of their choosing?

            It doesn’t matter if you are gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgendered, straight, or anything else that defines you according to who you have sex with. We are all People and as People, we should always be concerned when our fellow People are told they aren’t worthy. Are told they are second-class. Are told their fates have been decided by others.

            At the end of the day it doesn’t even matter if you personally think being gay is wrong or gross or whatever. It matters that you know YOUR personal view should not responsible for depriving another person of the same rights you enjoy.

            And for those of you waiting to tell me how wrong I am or that my opinion will send me to Hell, bring it on. You can judge me and my support of the LGBT community right up until the day I die.

            But then God will take over and He knows much better than either you or I and I, at least, refuse to believe He created a whole group of people that He did not love.

I know this was a huge departure from anything I’ve done on this blog before but I didn’t feel like I could remain silent in good conscience. I don’t know if I changed any minds today or just succeeded in pissing off a bunch of people. Either way, it’s not important. This is an important issue and I hope that you take the time to talk to other people about it.

If you're at all interested, please check out the Human Rights Campaign and then read this letter on the importance of Straight Allies from one of the members of fun.