Editorial: Gay is the Way

“Let me get this straight, some people get 2 or 3 marriages and we can’t have even one?!”

For what seems like an effortless issue, there are many complications. Gay marriage is discriminated upon throughout the United States. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) states that the definition of marriage under the U.S Constitution is “a legal union between one man and one woman;” therefore excludes homosexuality. People argue that by the enactment of DOMA, ones human rights are denied. Gay marriage should naturally be viewed as a part of society. The Democratic Ideals provide citizens with their own pursuit of happiness; if gay marriage makes people happy, then they should have a right to live the rest of their lives homosexually. Even though there is controversy throughout the nation within the issue of gay marriage, both legal and religious reasoning provides information as to why it should be legalized.

Rights as a U.S citizen are protected under the U.S constitution. However, acknowledging marriage as being between a man and a woman discriminates a huge section of our human race: homosexuals. People throughout the nation have realized how this statement influences oneself by having their asking of marriage denied because gay marriages are not recognized in certain states. The Goodridge vs. Department of Public Health court case took place in the state of Massachusetts. It recognized how derogatory the legal definition of marriage is towards homosexuals because 14 plaintiffs, who initially filed the lawsuit, stated that by denying their right to marry, Massachusetts was violating their rights under the U.S constitution. Section 1 from the 14th amendment from the Constitution is a great way to explain how defining marriage as between a man a woman goes against human rights. It states that “no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States;” therefore by denying people their right to marry, their freedom as a U.S citizen is abused. Gay marriage should be legalized throughout more states because people are starting to realize how ridiculous laws against same-sex couples are. Once the Supreme Court of Massachusetts was provided with the case “Goodridge vs. Department of Public Health,” gay marriage was legalized. The Supreme Court stated that “since marriage brings with it certain material advantages, citizens denied the right to choose to marry are excluded from the full range of human experience and denied full protection of the laws for ones vowed commitment towards an intimate and lasting relationship.” The state of Massachusetts is just a fraction of the United States. If our country stuck to the legal piece of gay marriage, then it would be noted that denying ones right to marry does not abide by our constitution and therefore would be legalized throughout the nation. Per contra, even though legal reasons suggest gay marriage should be legalized, morals regarding religion are factors as to why people overlook the legal aspect.

Taylor is an 18 year old girl; she is very religious. She states that “God doesn’t approve of gay marriage;” therefore she doesn’t either. She is one out of the many to take things written within the bible literally, or does she? Taylor believes she is a follower of God. People live accordingly towards a “god-given” perception on how people are supposed to act. However, according to Bishop Robinson, the bible states that “If you want to be a follower of mine, you must give up all of your possessions.” Meaning to be a follower of god, one must give up everything they own. In order to have god’s acceptance, people believe that homosexuality is out of the question; it’s immoral (according to Jeff Badillo). However, from a literal point of view, shouldn’t owning property looked down upon as well? “My Spouse Struggles with Homosexuality,” just by looking at that, what do those 5 words suggest? “My Spouse:” we can create the assumption of a heterosexual marriage; “Struggles with Homosexuality:” either the husband or wife within the heterosexual marriage struggles with homosexuality, but does not believe in it which therefore they try to “fix” oneself by engaging in a heterosexual relationship. The story beneath the headline of “My Spouse Struggles with Homosexuality,” is about a very religious man and woman who get married. Later in their marriage, the wife had concerns about her husband’s sexuality because “signs from god” had been distributed to her; when her husband was caught in a gay bar, the signs were declared true; she then freaked out. There are many people following the bible throughout the United States, and most do not feel the same way about the bible. Even though people abide by the same religious values, different perceptions regarding the bible, such as requirements associated by god, can be perceived in different ways.

“One cannot take the bible literally” says Bishop Robinson, “Once we know what was meant by the author and what was heard by the people for whom it was written, we can ask the question, “Is this eternally binding or something culturally determined that applies only for that time?”. The bible was created a number of years ago and times have changed. How many people have given up ALL of their possessions to be known as a follower of god? When reading the bible, a method called “selective reading” is acted upon.  This means only parts of the bible are comprehended and other parts are overlooked. Jeff Badillo describes homosexual marriage as “not intended by god” and if one were to be gaily married, then they would be “living in sin.” Badillo is a well practiced Christian with a practical perception. He says that he believes that homosexual marriage goes against his moral beliefs and is not a god-given natural right; however, it is ones civil right to marry accordingly and he wouldn’t prevent it from happening because it doesn’t affect him; he’s right. Gay marriage does not affect Jeff Badillo nor any person throughout the United States other than the ones who are involved with the relationship. So why is gay marriage such a big issue? Morals override realistic principles, but they shouldn’t.

Gay marriage should be seen as a natural way of living. The reason why it is an issue is because people don’t consider civil rights listed under the U.S Constitution; instead the legal aspect associated with gay marriage is overlooked. One’s morals cannot determine society; it would be unethical. Religion suggests that marriage should be between a man and a woman, however, over time, marriage has evolved into something more than that. Marriage is a way of living. It is a way for people to display their affection for the person they love and to live the rest of their lives in a blissful manner. One’s sexuality is a factor of a person’s identity, it isn’t their complete identity. We are different from one another and the differences create who we are as beings. Amongst these differences, we still have one thing in common: we are all citizens abiding by the U.S Constitution; therefore meaning we have equal rights; therefore initiates the fact that gay marriage should be legalized throughout the United States.