By Curtis Creekmore
The new year promises more policies, procedures, politics and propaganda that will fuel the fodder of discourse. Gay marriage will undoubtedly be at the top of that list, especially as statistics show that one out of every tenth person is gay.
In 2004, Massachusetts was the only state to legalize gay marriages, and now voters are pressing to reverse the decision. Approximately 700,000 signatures were collected in support of a constitutional amendment to ban it. Kentucky already passed this legislation in 2004: With 99 percent of precincts reporting, 1,192,315 voters (74 percent) opposed gay marriage, while 408,496 voted in favor of it.
But is it really fair for a majority of people to create legislation that will take away the rights of a minority? Is it just to allow 74 percent of a state to say that two men or two women should not be able to receive the same partner benefits that straight couples are allowed? Is it right to consider LGBT people unequal because of their love for another person? The answer, to all of these questions, is no.
It is not fair to allow bigotry and hatred to continue to grow and thrive. George W. Bush made it his duty to stop terrorism from invading this country, but before rushing off to Iraq, he should have taken a look around the good ol’ U.S. of A. first. Racism, sexism, and hatred based on sexual orientation are blaring examples of the terrorism that we, the people, are harboring here. And it is the creation of amendments–banal laws banning LGBT people from creating relationships and, “heaven” forbid, families–that exacerbates it.
The obvious reason LGBT people are mistreated today is because of religious belief. Whether viewed from a Christian or Islamic perspective, homosexuality is considered a sin. Many conservative people, including our president, have decided that the United States should be run with the Bible as a guide book for all moral decisions. Though it is not a bad idea to have a good moral structure to follow, it is a flawed and hypocritical thought that all people in a country that was created to avoid religious persecution should allow such to happen. It is unjust, and even un-Christian, to take away the rights and privileges of a minority.
Massachusetts’ steps toward sending this bill to the ballot in ’08 are veritable leaps in the wrong direction. If passed, the 8,000 current gay marriages will hold strong, but further marriages will be banned. Many consider these laws to be infringing on the 14th Amendment as well, an amendment that guarantees that no state can make or enforce laws that impede the privileges and immunities of citizens of the United States. It also protects life, liberty, and property, the essential freedoms of America.
So take a step back.
LGBT people are not asking for special treatment. They are human beings, borne of the same blood as anyone else. They are not second class citizens. They are not different in any way other than sexual orientation, a characteristic that other than love should have no baring anywhere else in life.
Curtis Creekmore is a junior majoring in French. E-mail him at copinion@louisvillecardinal.com.
