Patriotism Galore

Today the results are in for a Proposition in the State of Maine that would repeal a previous legislative decision to legalize same-sex marriage; the religious right has prevailed, and the law was repealed. Once again, the rug has been pulled from underneath people in love. I couldn't help but feel devastated when I read the news. In the wake of California's Proposition 8, which passed one year ago, a victory for advocates would have given the movement for equal rights some much needed momentum. What made the debate in Maine so significant was the fact that none of the other five states that have legalized gay marriage (Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Iowa) have done so through popular vote, rather with court decisions. It seemed as though this was the chance the LGBT community and its allies had been hoping for. Finally, we were going to have a concrete example that people are ready for a change, because after all, the constituents have spoken! Instead, we have added one more State to the list-now totaling thirty-one- that have voted against Gay Marriage during a popular vote. The aftermath of the decision has far reaching implications, but most importantly, it affects households where marriage is desired.

Now we get to hear stories abound from couples that had been planning weddings, and now they have to plan cancellations. Real people, with real companions, are devastated by this vote. People that are in love are being told they can't express their feelings in the same way that other citizens can; This permissible bigotry makes me hang my head in shame, it is the antithesis of the American ideal! Americans are supposed to champion equality, and minimal government, and every time a decision is made that strikes down the push for equal rights, the government is playing a direct role, and equality is forced further into the horizon! The irony is, the people that support the oppression claim to be "true Americans," and they are "protecting their nation." In all actuality, they are behaving in a strictly anti-American fashion.

I suppose my root contention with the vote is the way it hurts countless people; Respectable, law abiding citizens are being seriously oppressed and the majority of people fail to recognize this. It is set forth in our Constitution that there is a separation of Church and State, and when it comes to the issue of gay marriage, this premise seems to disappear. I would love to hear one argument against Gay Marriage that doesn't include citations from religious texts, or a simple distaste for the idea of the same-sex copulating. The last time I checked, our Constitution is the cornerstone of our Democracy, and it should not be ignored. Allowing religion to dictate policy is unconstitutional, and allowing oppression based upon pure sexual preference is simply asinine.

I could go on for days, and hope that my logic will compel people to open their minds, but it probably won't work. I wish that every person that voted in favor of Maine's Proposition 1 had to meet a Homosexual couple, look them in the eyes and repeat the statement, "Because I don't feel the same way that you do, you can not achieve your full happiness. Because I have been told that you are a heathen, I am going to condemn you as a person without attempting to know you beforehand. Because of the way I have voted, you and your partner will not have access to the same rights as me, and I don't care how much you cry, because you are a second-class citizen." I know logic can't penetrate most people in the Right Wing, but I know emotions can, and in my utopian circumstance some minds would definitely change after repeating that statement to a brokenhearted/browbeaten person.