On November 6, Maine, Maryland, and Washington joined the growing number of states in the US that permit same-sex marriage. As of today, it is legal in nine states – Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Washington. Rhode Island recognizes same-sex marriages that were performed in states where it is legal, and California permits them on a conditional basis. The government has thus far treated the issue of gay marriage on a state by state basis, and though the president has come out in support of same-sex marriage, there has been no federal mandates passed that would allow people all over the country to marry.
I understand, of course, that this is a delicate issue, and that for many people it is a particularly sensitive one. But America is supposed to be a country founded on the belief that all men are created equal, and yet even today, in the modern age of political correctness, there are still those who have to fight for one of the most basic of rights.
There was a time, too, when interracial marriage was taboo. And yet today it is commonplace and completely acceptable. There was a time when a black man could never have become the President, and yet here Barack Obama sits on the eve of his second term. There was a time when a woman could never have dreamt of running for the kind of political office Hillary Clinton holds, let alone vote.
It is easy to claim we live in the land of the free, and yet how can we say that when there are people out there who are not free to express themselves? I find it really sad that the idea of expanding rights to everyone is so offensive to some people. The government is not trying to force churches to allow ceremonies to be conducted under their roof, and it in no way is an imposition on changing anybody’s personal religious beliefs. America was founded on the idea of secularity – that is, the separation of Church and state. The government cannot govern religion, but neither can religion govern the government. It is simply an effort to allow legal, federally sanctioned marriages to take place.
Marriage is a basic civil right, and I think part of the problem is that it is so, so easy to deny others what you are so freely given. It is hard to sympathize with someone if you have never walked in their shoes, and the story would be completely different if straight couples were the ones not allowed to be married.
Hatred and bigotry are nothing but negativity, and there is a huge difference between them and free speech. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and that is a right we are blessed to have. How can we, in good conscience, even begin to deny anyone else?