The issue of legalizing same-sex marriage should be a no-brainer by now. What started as a California ballot proposition that unfortunately passed back in 2008 is still fighting an uphill battle these many years later, with a ruling to come from the Supreme Court by late June.
Before you give me that “leave the Prop alone, for the people have spoken!” nonsense, let us remember that several extremely wealthy and influential forces outside of California (Catholic Church, Mormon Church) spent several millions of dollars to make sure the Prop passed, keeping the rest of the country from following the “progressive” California into the pits of fire and damnation.
Squashing the civil rights of a minority group? Why, it’s what us Americans do best!
However, despite the Prop being struck down in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals as being “unconstitutional” under the Due Process Clause, the media circus set-up camp outside the steps of the Supreme Court last week, for the show must go on.
Both sides came out en masse, showing their support with speeches, signs and interviews with the various media outlets.
People changed their profile pictures on Facebook to the red and pink equal sign of the Human Rights Campaign, and wrote of their support.
I shared with my friends and followers of that sense of pride I felt back in 2008 when I filled in the “NO” bubble to Prop 8, only to be dumbstruck and devastated by the results the following morning. Surely if the Justices logged on to Facebook last Tuesday, their opinions would have been swayed.
According to a CBS News Poll that was released last week, 53 percent of Americans now support same-sex marriage. “Most Americans under age 45 believe same-sex marriage should be legal, including 73 percent of those under 30.
Americans between 45 and 64 are divided, while 52 percent of seniors do not think it should be legal,” according to the poll results.
When asked why they changed their mind on the issue if they were opposed to it before, 20 percent responded that they knew someone who is gay or lesbian.
Even some of the most conservative of politicians have changed their minds on the issue, most notably former Vice President Dick Cheney and Ohio Senator Rob Portman.
Both have children who came out to them as being homosexual, showing that even the ones they love most are ultimately affected by their decisions.
For the rest of us who have a traditional marriage with benefits, we take advantage of that right to marry the person we love.
We have drive-thru chapels in Las Vegas that will marry us in our cars to the floozy we met an hour prior, and yet Adam & Steve can’t get that same convenience despite being together for several decades.
As for the argument of “same-sex marriage will tarnish the values of traditional marriage,” I’m sorry but have you seen traditional marriage lately?
Half the marriages in this country end in divorce, and the politicians who squawk the loudest about anti-homosexual and pro-traditional marriage usually end up on the front page in a scandal involving underage prostitutes or ‘hiking the Appalachian Trail’ (would make for an awesome band name, by the way).
In the end it all comes down to having the same rights and freedoms as everyone else, and some people remain blinded by history repeating itself.
Prop 8 is the interracial marriage of our generation, where it seems completely obvious to allow people to marry whoever they would like, despite the few loud and influential bigots who want to keep the country that Jesus loves the most (‘MERICA!) pure.
The majority of the Supreme Court groupies see the outcome of Prop 8 going several different ways, with the overall likelihood being that California will allow same-sex marriage in one way or another.
The best possible outcome would be that same-sex marriage be allowed nationwide, but speaking as a Californian I’ll just take the state level for now. Baby steps, for slow and steady wins the race.