In the previous article, I addressed some of the legal issues surrounding gay marriage. In this article, I’ll address Heather’s statements in the “Why does it matter to me?” section of her article, Marriage Debates: California Gay Marriage Ban to Be Appealed.
Comparing sexual preference to skin color is a common gay rights argument. Modeling the cause after the civil rights movement seems to give it more credence. There is no comparison. Slavery and being treated as less than a person because of one’s skin color is not at all the same as being prohibited from creating extraordinary, special statutory rights based on desire.
Homosexuals are not forced into slavery. They are not told to sit in the back of the bus. There are not restrooms and water fountains bearing signs that say “no gays.” They are not denied schooling or jobs, even if an employer might “discriminate” by forbidding a man from wearing a dress to work. Their perceived plight does not leave them being counted literally as less than a whole person, which was the case for black people not so long ago.
Another important point is that because a person or group claims to do something in the name of God does not mean that every person of faith feels the same way. It is obvious to true believers that God does not want us to hate. This is another common argument in the gay rights movement that is also without merit. Disagreeing with someone’s lifestyle, even if that disagreement is based in faith, does not equal hatred no matter how frequently people of faith are painted this way.
There is also a difference between believing something is sin, because that’s what one’s faith teaches, and judging people. To say I that disagree with a person’s lifestyle, is not at all the same as condemning that person.
Heather then went on to say:
“…my problem is that gay marriage bans and the arguments against gay marriage suggest that if it were to become legal, we would all abandon our marriages and immediately marry someone of the same sex.”
I fervently disagree. I have never heard such an argument made by any opponent of same sex marriage and I don’t know a single person who feels this way. I have only heard this argument made by those who advocate gay marriage, but perhaps because it’s been used so frequently people tend to believe it.
I have no worries that I will suddenly become attracted to women if gay marriage becomes legal. I really can’t imagine any heterosexual person having such a fear. Some closeted gay people may leave marriages, but that is likely to happen eventually whether gay marriage is legalized or not.
Heather is of course entitled to express her opinion, but in my opinion, this is not about defining love. It’s about defining, or more accurately, re-defining marriage to force acceptance of an alternative lifestyle as the norm. While courts may continue to usurp power and may redefine the term “marriage,” no court will ever have the power to redefine reality.
Your comments are welcome.