Two Day Magazine

Wednesday, August 4, 2010, was a monumental day for the advancement of human rights in this country. Yesterday, a federal judge ruled that California’s Proposition 8, which was a “voter-approved” ban on same-sex marriage, was unconstitutional.

Proposition 8 defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

“Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples,” wrote Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker. Walker was appointed to the federal bench by former President Ronald Reagan, interestingly enough.

Walker went on to add, “race restrictions on marital partners were once common in most states but are now seen as archaic, shameful, or even bizarre. Gender no longer forms an essential part of marriage; marriage under law is a union of equals.”

Walker is absolutely right. There is no rational reason why two consenting adults can’t join into a legal union and share their lives with one another.

(Some) conservatives believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. God deemed it so, according to their belief system. They point to scripture in their Bibles and use the verses to condone their prejudices. These people use the Bible to perpetuate hatred and fear, with no other backings to their venomous speech. Those who dare stand up to them are condemned and vilified.

But, what they fail to understand is that their definition of marriage has nothing to do with two people having full rights and protections under the law. Their definition is of a religious nature. If they don’t want to marry people in their houses of worship, that’s their prerogative. These are the same people that argue that the government is too big and too involved in our lives. Yet, they want to use the government to extend their bigotry. You can’t have it both ways.

The lead counsel for Proposition 8, Charles Cooper, released the following statement in response to Walker’s decision:

Walker’s decision treats children “as a mere afterthought when it comes to marriage...And the court also found that there is no benefit whatsoever to be raised by its own biological parents.

“Fortunately, the Constitution does not require the people to substitute the social science musings of gay rights activists for common sense. This decision will not stand.”

Cooper fails to realize that at the heart of every solid family is love. The love that parents have for their children, whether they are biological or adopted, can only be strengthened by a stable, happy union. His statements didn’t just insult the gay community, but it also insults any straight couple who aren’t the biological parents of the children they have brought into their home. He also assumes that all married couples want or have children, which of course, they do not.

With all of the problems this country is facing: waging two (seemingly endless wars) that are costing this country BILLIONS every month, the recession, the loss of countless jobs, health insurance costs rising and more and more people left without care, the BP oil disaster ruining our wildlife, waterways, environment and livelihoods of innumerable families, you would think that the people of this nation would be able to recognize where our attentions really need to be focused on.

Maybe to speed this process up and get this decision solidified so that we may move onto topics that affect us all (pick one from the list above), I propose that instead of calling it “gay marriage” we refer to it as “marriage equality”. Whenever you hear “gay marriage” it inflames those who are trying to extinguish the ability for others to live their lives how they choose. When you think of “marriage equality” it doesn’t seem as politically charged, thus making it seem less polarized.

The love that a man holds for a woman or that a woman holds for a man is no different than that of two men’s love for one another or two women’s. When we start looking at these social issues with the soul’s eye, we may come to a different conclusion that we are one people, one collective consciousness, and one love.

No More H8!