In this election year, gay marriage has become one of the hot
issues. A majority of Americans oppose gay marriage rights, and
President Bush and the leading Democratic candidates share that
view. But the issues of gay rights is a civil rights question
““ and America’s leaders should follow the brave lead of
San Francisco’s mayor, Gavin Newsom.
Over the weekend, San Francisco issued thousands of marriage
licenses to gay couples, defying public opposition to these
unions.
Opposition to gay marriage represents one of the last commonly
accepted bastions of prejudice. Racial prejudice, sexism and even
classist snobbery are all condemned by the mainstream public. But
gays remain a group many people feel comfortable discriminating
against.
Few view opposition to gay marriage as what it really is:
discrimination. For whatever reason, millions who can recognize how
wrong it was to segregate schools do not understand the problems
with segregating gay people who love each other.
None of the arguments against gay marriage are convincing
““ and most of them appeal to a sense of fear.
Those who say gay marriage will open the doors to a host of
problems are distorting facts and ignoring the reality of what
marriage has come to be all about. In a country with a massive
divorce rate and significant levels of domestic abuse, it is hard
to make arguments about the moral “sanctity” of
marriage.
Gay marriage is not equivalent to polygamy, a common argument
for those who oppose both. Gay people can be loving and effective
parents. Like a traditional marriage, gay marriage is about a bond
of love between two people. Arguments that gay marriage opens the
door for other forms of union ““ such as polygamy ““ do
not deserve discussion.
Gay people can love and support each other just like any people
can ““ and that is the real point that must be understood.
Certainly, some gay couples would be great parents, some would
not ““ just like heterosexual couples. Some would get
divorces, others would not. But all people deserve the same rights
the majority enjoys.
Some people have said they would support civil unions for gays,
so long as the word “marriage” was not associated with
gay relationships. This proposal sets up an unnecessary and
unethical “separate but equal” system.
The bottom line is that gays do not represent some abnormal
condition that must be separated from “normal” people.
Separate but equal solutions were proven to be unacceptable for
blacks and other minorities, and they would not be acceptable for
gays.
Marriage in the United States now has two main purposes ““
it affirms the love between two people and allows for specific
rights associated with such a union, such as health care benefits
and the right to share custody over children. To say that gays do
not deserve to marry each other ignores the basic premises of equal
rights and creates an unfair situation that must be righted.