A friend of mine just sent me a link to Keith Olbermann's reaction to the passing of Prop 8 in California (which bans gay marriage). Here's a snippet:
"I keep hearing this term "re-defining" marriage. If this country hadn't
re-defined marriage, black people still couldn't marry white people.
Sixteen states had laws on the books which made that illegal in 1967.
"...You want to sanctify marriage? You want to honor your God and the
universal love you believe he represents? Then Spread happiness—this
tiny, symbolic, semantical grain of happiness—share it with all those
who seek it. Quote me anything from your religious leader or book of
choice telling you to stand against this. And then tell me how you can
believe both that statement and another statement, another one which
reads only "do unto others as you would have them do unto you.""
You can
read the rest of it here. I don't think it needs to be said that I agree 100% with what he says. It is embarrassing that we refuse to grant this right to a group of people. And yes, sure, many states allow "civil unions" where it's "basically the same" as being married. Except you know it's not. You know there is a difference between a couple who is legally married, and one who is not even if they claim to be eternally committed. The way we still react to out-of-wedlock births shows this to be true. I just hope it will be sooner rather than later before we realize how wrong we are, and simply allow consenting adults to marry the person they love.
Comments (6)
Basically the same isn't the same or the word basically wouldn't be part of the phrase.
I am ready for the government to be out of the marriage business. There is no real reason, other than religious, that homosexual marriage should be banned. Thus, the sooner the government simply issues the same contract to all of us and lets the church choose whether or not to recognize a marriage as "holy" or "unholy," the better.
Laws are made to protect the innocent from being hurt. Exactly who does marriage hurt?
P.S. I am growing to love Keith Olbermann
Separate but equal, anyone?
Guess who was brilliant enough to answer her student, in class, when he asked if I thought gay people should be allowed to get married.
One kid pulled up Bible verses "against" homosexuality. I pointed out: thousands upon thousands of years old text, translated in and out of how many languages, under the tyranny of Catholic monks for how long, and remember all that "love one another" stuff?
I still had a job this morning, though, so I guess it worked out.
I know I'm not supposed to talk about "those things" in school, but dang it, it's part of my job to teach these kids to not discriminate or oppress based on race or skin color - why can't I teach them to not discriminate or oppress based on sexual orientation?
@ReinaCristina - I would have done the same thing you did.
It's discrimination based on religion and it's WRONG.
@Krissy_Cole - I realized after class let out that I had a parent conference scheduled for the next morning with the parent of the girl who pulled the Bible verses up on her laptop... the dad - who came in wearing a full-on, shaved-sides mohawk - made a cryptic reference to it which I caught but I don't think the counselor did, but that was it. So far, so goob - still employed.
@ReinaCristina - Yay! Don't think what you say doesn't help. Each time you stand up for equality, your words sink in a little deeper, and for each one who is vocal against it, there is someone who is fighting a silent battle inside that you are helping to see the truth. Even people who are set in their ways can be reformed - my husband says he and his brothers had to get on their father about his racist comments then they were younger, but I've never heard one prejudiced word out of him. Mission accomplished!