Did you hear? Today Vermont overrode their governor's veto and became the 4Th state to legalize gay marriage. For this, I stand and give them slow meaningful applause. You know-at the end of the movie when the underdog finally triumphs against the bully.
Gay Marriage-Why is this such a fervently contested issue, really! I'm going to say this slowly and simply. The state of marriage is a LEGAL CONTRACT. If it were not, you wouldn't need a license to do it. The thing that gets panties in a bunch is "holy matrimony" IE, marriage sanctified by a church or religion. Contrary to what the vehemently vocal anti gay marriage people say, marriage and holy matrimony are two different things that are not mutually inclusive of each other.
For example: 2 couples. One gets married by the justice of the peace while the other does the big church wedding. Both are legally married. Now, if marriage and holy matrimony were both required to have a legally recognized marriage, the couple what went to the JP would not be married. The gist is that a church or even religion is not required in this country to have a legally valid marriage.
People who happen to be gay are first and foremost PEOPLE. They have the right to enter into legal contracts the same as anyone else. WHY do people keeping beating on this issue?? If two people find each other on this insane planet, fall in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together GOOD FOR THEM! Plumbing has nothing to do with love. What someone does in the privacy of their home is none of my or anyone else's business. "Oh, it's a sin against God, the Bible says..." Yes, but the Bible says to love your neighbor as yourself. It doesn't make exceptions for color, race, creed, size or sexual orientation. Those are all man's prejudices. People who rail against gay marriage forget also "Judge not, lest ye be judged". I can hear the reaction now "OH, well, you can't pick and choose what parts of the Bible to listen to". Bullshit, that's what they do every time they protest a murdered gay man's funeral or picket a movie. They are choosing what parts they like and ignoring the rest. They get so wrapped up trying to force their views and judging others that they forget they are hurting people with their bigotry.
I remember years ago at my old job. I had a very sweet gay couple that came to my store. They were funny, kind, giving and very much in love. They were together 15 years before they had a commitment ceremony. Just after their 25Th anniversary of being together, one had a pulmonary embolism in their home. He died in his partners arms. Did the fact that they were two men make any difference of how they felt about each other? Absolutely not.
A couple things to consider
1) Anytime you hear someone argue anything about gays, put the word Black in place of gay. It wasn't that long ago that it was against the law for black and whites to marry. Sounds bad that way right?
2) If the validity of your marriage hinges on denying that right to someone else, what does that say about your marriage?
Peace and Love
C
