The moment that people are applauding as evidence that America can overcome prejudice is also the night that many states voted not to extend equal marriage rights to gay couples.
I’m not sure if that constitutes irony, as it’s been awhile since I’ve brushed up on my literary terms. But what I can say is this:
We all want to believe that people have equal opportunities and rights in this country. In my mind (and I am right about this), we cannot rest as a nation until we’ve given all our citizens – regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion or sexuality – equal protection under the law.
Heterosexual couples take marriage rights for granted. God did not grant you marriage rights, this country did. Disallow the government to meddle in marriage and instead guarantee all human couples the rights that come with a civil union. Your church and your God can recognize your marriage privately, and that can and should be a joyous experience for you, untainted by government.
We can’t have it both ways. We can’t deny people rights when more and more studies show homosexuality is a trait people are born with (like gender or race). That’s not American. Either we grow to disallow all government-sanctioned marriages or we extend those rights to everyone.
To be perfectly honest, this should not be an issue decided by voters. It’s a matter of discrimination, and it should be fought in the courts, where we send all cases that deal with rights guaranteed by the Constitution. It is the job of our judicial branch to protect and uphold the Constitution above all else, and that is a duty I don’t trust the average voter to have the intelligence and considerable knowledge to undertake. We have a judicial system for a reason. Let them do their job.
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