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Gay
Marriage is a Right, not a Wrong by
Athina Simonidou
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It
is sad that we have to speak in terms of taking a stand on
same sex marriage when it should be obvious to all that gay
people must be given the right to marry, not just in city
hall or non-religious settings, but in church -- and the
marriage should have the same legal status as that enjoyed
by married heterosexuals.
This
should not be controversial. It is a matter of recognizing
that love and desire are more complex, much richer than we
once believed them to be. We cannot continue to accept
small-minded people hiding their prejudices behind sacred
texts, telling us they, and only they, know what the creator
wants us to do and be.
If
there is a God, no one knows his or her mind. All religious
statements, from liberal to conservative, are prefaced by
two words, "I believe ..." Objection to gay
marriage on religious grounds cannot be stopped, freedom of
speech should not be curtailed, but religious prejudice
needs to be exposed when it seeks to deny, or remove, rights
that have been fought for and granted to people.
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In
California, via Prop 8, the Mormon Church, Dr. James
Dobson's hate group, Focus on the Family, and other
evangelical organizations plowed huge amounts of money
into overturning gay marriage. The fact that gay people
were able to marry in California hurt no one. It did not
weaken traditional marriage -- in fact it was a
celebration of it, the promising of one person to another
in a loving, lasting relationship recognized by the
community.
It
is sad that 70 percent of African America voters supported
banning gay marriage. There is a long way to go in
convincing the public that gayness is a feature of any
normal society. Homosexuality will not go away because
there are people who do not like it, who preach against
it, and who believe that our gay brothers and sisters can
have their "affliction" removed via prayer or
reeducation. Gay people are here to stay. It has always
been the case, and will always be the case.
We
should honor the fact that so many gay people wish to step
into traditional marriage, with all the risks and pitfalls
it entails. Straight people have not done such a marvelous
job in convincing us that marriage is perfect when divorce
rates hover around 50 percent. But many gay people want to
take the risk, they want the opportunity to be in a
relationship that they hope will last for a lifetime,
which grants them visitation, inheritance and other
rights, and which the community, even the religious
community, recognizes and embraces.
Those
with deep-rooted prejudices against gay people will
continue to harbor them. They cannot be forced to like gay
people, nor associate with them, nor recognize gay or
bisexual relationships. They will continue to preach fear,
hatred, and division. They will continue to invoke higher
powers as part of their defense.
In
response, enlightened, fair, educated, tolerant, and open
straight people need to do more to help gay people in the
struggle. We can't sit by while a big portion of our
country is ridiculed, persecuted, and treated as second
class citizens. The gay community needs and deserves our
support.
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