Marriage for all people: An inalienable right
Adam Krause
Contributing columnist
There seems to be quite a bit of hooplah surrounding the legal battle for gay marriage rights in Massachusetts, and there should be no problem with them getting married. As we get closer to Valentine‘s Day, there are going to be lots of people out and about, getting shot with Cupid‘s arrows; gays are no exception. In Massachusetts, though, many lawmakers and clergymen are staunchly opposed to letting gay couples fulfill their love through legal marriage. Some are even going as far as trying to amend the state constitution and withdraw certain civil rights laws. Gay marriage is no different than heterosexual marriage except for the fact that it is, obviously, two people of the same sex. That’s where the differences end.
Not only is marriage a right that should be extended to all responsible adults, but it is something that causes little or no trouble for other people. Interracial marriage was illegal in the past, but that restriction was inevitably proven unconstitutional, and rightly so.
If a heterosexual couple gets married, what happens to the people in their surrounding communities and states? Nothing at all. They go on with their lives, not affected by the strangers’ union at all. At most, the new couple may claim tax exemptions, but how much does that effect the other guy? Not even enough to notice.
So why does it matter to a heterosexual person if a gay couple wants to get married? It shouldn’t, because it will have no ill effect on this country’s status quo. If anything it will be one less issue wasting our government’s time, and it will leave millions of gays happy. It seems that heterosexuals have just taken marriage for granted, and maybe some want to control how others live their lives. I really don’t care if a gay couple wants to get married any more than I care about straight folks. In fact, marriage is so far out of my mind that I could totally care less, if in fact I wasn’t offended that our country is still trying to restrict civil rights in 2004. What’s next? Restricted heterosexual marriage? So much for that whole ‘inalienable rights’ thing, huh?
It seems that gay marriages are incredibly frightening to many lawmakers, though they have yet to explain why they are so worried about gays having equal rights. I haven’t heard any rational reason why it should be illegal, other than heterosexual people trying to control the lives of people whom they misunderstand and misjudge. If these people spent their energy trying to solve some real problems in this country, then maybe we could just give the gays their rights and get on with life.
The Catholic church is indeed frightened that gays may be allowed to marry, but isn’t that the same organization in which homosexual molestation charges were rampant in the past few years? Likewise, gay marriage may go against Biblical teachings, but what about the death penalty, abortion, or the myriad other legal practices which disagree with church teachings? Heck, the Catholic church even opposes divorces, unless there is a church-performed annulment.
It’s completely illegal for the church to be involved with lawmaking, regardless of the little slogans on our currency or the little, preachy phrases Bush uses at the end of his jumbled speeches. Then again, the Bible contradicts itself, so it’s no surprise that the Catholic church and it’s leaders in Massachusetts are doing the same. Is this an organization that should be affecting the laws of our land? With all due respect to the Catholic church, the answer is no.
Let’s try and see how gay marriage would be bad for this country; I can only see one thing that people may be worried about. Many companies may not be happy about giving medical benefits to a gay spouse; naturally these health insurance companies are always trying to cut costs. But as long as the straight folks still have their medical coverage, then what is their complaint? Perhaps it stems from prejudice of an era that is slowly fading as the Baby Boomers’ more conservative ideals are pushed aside by those of younger generations.
Perhaps some people worry that two men or women are just posing as gay, to reap the benefits of corporate health insurance. Though that is a possibility, it is highly unlikely that two straight people would go to such lengths just to rip of a health insurance company. On top this is the hypocrisy of the concept; if a straight man or woman holds down a job and provides health insurance benefits for a stay-at-home spouse, then isn’t that just as dishonest as a gay couple doing the same? Sure it is.
Regardless of the reasons for jealousy or bitterness, they are unfounded and most likely unreasonable. Until the anti-gay marriage people start giving some logical reasons, they will continue appearing as selfish, ignorant, and openly prejudiced.
In fact, gay marriage might be good for this country. Look at all the unhappy heterosexual couples, and look at the divorce rates. According to Information Please Online, the divorce rates for the past few years have hovered around 4%. Such a figure may seem insignificant, but that 4% accounts for over a million people being split apart each year.
How responsible are heterosexuals when it comes to marriage? Apparently they’re ready to take advantage of their ‘inalienable rights’ if it means tax deductions and benefits at work and in other areas of life. They are not ready, though, to let others enjoy the ‘joys’ of marriage. Then you’ve got children being born each day that are occasionally given up for adoption, and yet straight couples keep popping out kids to feed and to add to our overpopulated country.
One other benefits is that gay couples are not going to be bringing millions of neglected children into this world, like many heterosexual folks do. I’m all for gays being married, considering the amount of children whose parents are barely intelligent or loving enough to raise their own children. If anything, the gays might be able to adopt thousands or maybe millions of ‘unwanted’ children, and give these children the loving homes that they were sent away from by their irresponsible parents.
I’m sure gay couples will see tough times too, and many divorces; but the fact that they have fought so hard and so long for the right to marriage just shows me that they are a hell of a lot more ready to get married than the average, straight couple.
Maybe the fact that marriage is out of reach for many gays is why they should be entitled to it; they must really love and cherish their partners, or else they wouldn’t be trying so hard. When’s the last time any straight people you know fought so hard to be with someone they loved? My mind draws a blank.
Unfortunately for the Valentine‘s Day spirit, the divorce rate in this country is reflective of how some people really don’t know what love is or how to maintain it in a marriage. They jump into things, often caught up in ‘young love’ which only lasts for a fleeting moment. They take love and marriage for granted, treating it like something that can be taken and abandoned without a second thought. If anything, the Catholic church should be going after all the supposed sinners who file for divorce every day.
Nevertheless, until the lawmakers in this country remember that 227-year old document by the name of the Constitution, we can expect to see more attempts at rolling back the our rights as citizens. Sure, if gays can’t get married, it won’t affect me; but what other kinds of laws will the politicians roll back next? When will these lawmakers start telling straight people--or anyone, for that matter--that they are suddenly not entitled to their rights? It’s not just a battle for gay rights; it’s a battle for the rights of all people in the future. If one law is rolled back, then what’s to stop them from doing it again?
Perhaps we should just give the gays a chance to live under equal legal protection; what’s it really going to matter anyway? Is it more important than our poor economy, or the conflict in Iraq, or any of the other problems our country is faced with? Issues like gay marriage waste our governmental resources, making fools of our politicians while bigger problems remain unchecked. Let’s give the gays their marriage licenses, and let them enjoy Valentine’s Day as happily married couples should.