It’s time end prejudice against gays -by Steve Lachman
I’m in a mixed marriage. That is, my wife is left-handed, and I, as God intended, am right-handed. A couple hundred years ago, many people believed that left-handed people were possessed by the devil. So left-handedness was literally beaten out of this unfortunate minority — with resulting negative consequences on mental performance and dexterity. Because we now know that left-handedness is merely a genetic abnormality, and not a spiritual one, my wife and I can enjoy wedded bliss. Not that long ago, mixed marriages between races were also forbidden but, fortunately, miscegenation laws in the United States have been declared unconstitutional. Despite some societal movement toward tolerance and inclusion, due to our irrational prejudices, we still outlaw another form of marriage: homosexual marriage. Opponents of gay marriage give a number of reasons gay marriage should remain unlawful, such as: The Bible says so (Leviticus 18:22-23: “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination”). The Quran has similar prohibitions. Or AIDS is more easily spread through gay sex; homosexual relationships cannot produce offspring; it’s costly to employers and the government to pay health and survivor’s benefits to gay partners; and marriage is by its nature a union between a man and a woman. I’ll briefly address each of these objections. As individuals, we are free to follow our religion’s admonitions against homosexual relationships. However, constitutionally, we have separated church and state. The legal prohibition should not be founded in religion unless it can be shown that it somehow otherwise furthers the public welfare. If we want to limit the spread of HIV through gay men, encouraging stable monogamous relationships is a step in the right direction. The absence of gay marriage did not stem the spread of AIDS in the 1980s and ’90s. There are about 6.5 billion people in this overpopulated, resource-stressed lifeboat called Earth, and you’re worried that 4 percent of them won’t reproduce? Plenty of married heterosexuals don’t have children, and we don’t nullify their marriages. And an increasing number of same-sex couples adopt, and many lesbian women have children through artificial insemination. Benefits are costly regardless of the sexual orientation of the recipient. It’s a price we pay for encouraging stable relationships and ensuring that as many people as possible have health care and are not left destitute. Marriage has traditionally been between a man and a woman. It need not stay that way. Because of anatomy and temperament, there is a difference between a heterosexual relationship and a homosexual relationship. If you want to call the homosexual partnership something else, such as a “civil union,” so be it, though some people will say that by calling it a different name, we are denigrating it — and maybe they’re right. The point is to grant homosexuals the same rights of economic security, emotional stability and societal acceptance as heterosexuals. Why? Because we’re all just people. At long last, we have abolished “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Let’s abandon our prejudices and take the logical next step: Legalize gay marriage. It’s time to stop forcing square pegs into round holes. I hope our own state representatives will lead the charge. Steve Lachman is an assistant professor of legal writing at the Dickinson School of Law. He can be reached at [email protected]. More: http://www.centredaily.com/2011/01/13/2451567/its-time-end-prejudice-against.html -- Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time. Have a great day, Tommy -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
