Marriage and Equality in America

Hi Friends;

It sometimes feels a bit presumptuous when I put my two cents into fights than have been weighing for years and years regarding issues I only recently became associated or even aware existed as relevant to my life. I guess this is one of them. Barely acknowledging my own feelings and even more barely cracking the door of the closet, I still find that this is an area that impacts not only my future, my hopes, but really the very lives of some of my best and most important friends. Further, to destroy a quote by a great man; "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". We, as citizens hoping to be free, owe it to ourselves and our succeeding generations to tackle discrimination. So, forgive me if I join the fight late....better late than never.

I learned an odd thing today. It was President Clinton who signed the law defining marriage as existing between one man and one woman. I would have thought that to be something directly from the republican agenda. No matter, right being right, wrong being wrong, there is no doubt that this very law has been a source of division and discrimination. I'm so very glad that President Obama has chosen to re-examine the government's stand on the topic and realize the fundamental unfairness of the thing entire.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110223/ap_on_re_us/us_gay_marriage

Some days ago, I was searching for a few bits of understanding on equal rights, civil rights, rights for, well, all people of these United States. I find that such searches often reveal odd treasures. This is a relatively long writing, so I will only provide the link. But, I encourage everyone to stop and read this writer. He has really taken the very arguments that seem the backbone of anti-gay marriage proponents and looked at them critically - something I find I doubt those same proponents bothered to do. In time, you will likely find yourself in a discussion about the topic, and this gentleman writer's analysis of the main arguments will be of serious help.

http://www.bidstrup.com/marriage.htm

Friends, I don't have the answers. If you read my blog thinking I do you are in for some very real disappointments. Frankly, I screw things up so often I've gotten a case of athlete's tongue from the amount of time my foot is in my mouth. The best I figure I can do is look, share, and hope you all care enough to correct me where you see I've missed.

There is no doubt, though, that this topic - which I labeled not as gay marriage, but as 'marriage and equality' for a reason - that this topic will continue on as people voice their hopes, opinions and discriminations. It is interesting that so often folks seem to need something to be discriminatory over to make their own lives appear better.

~r.