This clause, "liberty and justice for all" is from our pledge of allegiance which most Americans know and recite quite often during their lives. It states that all people shall have freedom and equality under law. Doesn't this mean that everyone should have the freedom to marry whomever they choose and have equal rights under that marriage as would any other couple? It is our right as citizens of a government based on this idea of equality to be able to marry a man or women, no matter our own sex. Marriage was created to form a committing bond between two people who love each other, and who are we to judge that just because someone isn't in love with a person of the opposite sex that they shouldn't be able to be married? Gays and lesbians should have the same marriage rights and benefits as straight people.
Our country was established to ensure equality for all people, but we do not allow everyone the same rights when it comes to marriage. Male-female marriages are given a long list of benefits and laws which don't apply to same sex marriages. Gays and lesbians may have a ceremonial marriage officiated by a church, but they involve no civil laws and carry no benefits or responsibilities. Common-law marriages which allow some marriage laws to apply to couples that have lived together for a certain length of time are not available to any gays and lesbians, only to same-sex couples. Is this not socially unjust? The government encourages equality for different races, genders, or religions, but doesn't fight for equality of different sexual preferences. Our constitution which is the foundation of our country's existence preaches "all men created equal" but certainly does not give all people equal rights of marriage. Just because some leaders of our country believe that same-sex relationships are wrong doesn't mean that they should be able to tell a person who they can and cannot marry. A person may believe that eating chicken is wrong because it is killing a living creature, but they cannot make it illegal to eat chicken just because of their own opinion. Everyone on earth should be granted the same rights to marriage no matter their sexual preference.
Not only is legalizing gay and lesbian marriages the right thing to do because our country is based on equality, but freedom of marriage no matter sexual preference should be allowed so that those gays and lesbians who want to get married will be able to achieve the assurance, strength, and commitment which a true marriage holds. It is fair and just to give gays and lesbians these rights so they may achieve the personal happiness that straight couples are able to gain through a valid, legal marriage. The reasons which people have to oppose gay and lesbian marriages are few and pathetic. Some people say that homosexuals are "inferior" because they have grown up being taught that it was wrong. This is the same attitude which caused the terrible era of slavery. Whites thought that they were better than blacks so they used them to do work without pay and ruined their lives. Should we ruin the lives of homosexuals just because some of us think that homosexuality is wrong? No, of course we shouldn't. Others may state the argument that some religions say that gays and lesbians are sinners and therefore are wrong. That argument is invalid because in the case of legalizing marriage, church and state should be totally separated and therfore religion may make no pleas in the governmemnt against gay and lesbian marriages. Those who use this argument only want their personal religion to dictate our government, and under the U.S. Constitution, we are allowed to practice any religion we want. Some people also think that homosexuals should not be allowed to adopt because they believe that they are unfit as parents. According to the Parnters Task force for Gay and Lesbian Couples, all studies of children raised by lesbians and gay men have found them to be well adjusted. No proof exists that they are unfit parents. Freedom to marry will provide homosexuals the rights they deserve as human beings; they should not be "cast away" because they may have different ideals and lifestyles.
Gays and lesbians face discrimination because of their lifestyles everyday. The first country to legalize same-sex marriages was the Netherlands on April 1, 2001. Homosexual Dutch couples have all of the same privileges as heterosexual couples. In Zurich, Switzerland, same-sex couples attained equal rights in September, 2002, but these rights are not offered throughout the country, only in Zurich. Many homosexuals all over our planet are petitioning to their governments to be allowed the same rights as opposite-sex marriages. Some of these suits are being considered in court right now, and for the advancement of equality, they should be fairly treated as any other suit would, and governments should pass laws to allow legal gay marriages everywhere. Many polls are being taken of people by various organizations to see what the public thinks about gay marriages. In 1997, a telephone poll in Oregon found that only 37% of adults favored a bill to prohibit same-sex marriage, 56% opposed this bill. Princeton Survey Research Associates conducted a telephone poll for Newsweek magazine on July 28-31, 1998. They found that people ages 18-29 were "significantly more accepting of gay marriage". Hopefully these statistics mean that our society is starting to learn to accept people who are "different" more openly.
Through awareness education, our society should begin to understand that homosexuals are just like any other person, and should be granted all of the same rights. As a unified nation, we should press the issue of equality for all people. February 12 is "Freedom-to-Marry Day" and to celebrate, those who are in favor of gay and lesbian marriages should write letters to the U.S. government to express the fact that they are being hypocritical by pretending to promote "liberty and justice for ALL" but denying homosexuals the same marriage rights as heterosexuals. The letters should ask our country's leaders to support the passing of laws to inhibit full marriage rights to same-sex couples. Any action that is taken to support this cause, no matter how small, is positive and helpful. By education and spreading the true facts about and the rights which lesbians and gays are being denied, our world can become more welcoming and fair to all those who exist in it.
"Each individual's journey through life is unique. Some will make this journey alone, others in loving relationships - maybe in marriage or other forms of commitment. We need to ponder our own choices and try to understand the choices of others. Love has many shapes and colors and is not finite. It can not be measured or defined in terms of sexual orientation."
-From the Statement of Affirmation and Reconciliation
by the Quaker meeting in Aotearoa. |
