Civil Unions Inevitable Despite Backward Adherence to Religious Interpretation
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008
An intersection of personal reading and casual conversation this weekend led me to think again about the issue of gay marriage. I read an article in this weekend’s New York Times Magazine written by Benoit Denizet-Lewis about the trend toward young gay couples getting hitched that was interesting. The article rings true in my life even among straight couples who rush to get married due to some unseen prime mover. I was speaking with a few friends about upcoming days of silence in local schools and the primitive protests assembled by anti-homosexual students and teachers.
We need to stop letting Christian conservatives and other opponents of gay couples transpose civil unions with the institution of marriage. I would wager that many gay and lesbian couples are interested in the legal rights associated with marriage rather than the pomp and circumstance of church weddings. It would be wrong for state governments and the U.S. Constitution to force religious groups to facilitate gay marriages due to the long-accepted precedent of the separation of church and state. The only reason that gay marriage arises is that conservatives want to play off the fears of God-fearing voters who may not distinguish between the religious and legal aspects of marriage.
The allowance of gay and lesbian unions throughout the United States should be palatable for conservatives for several reasons. The fact that many gays and lesbians have been in faithful relationships for decades should show that homosexual unions have been forged with stronger materials than traditional marriages. The sinking of the Christian right in the United States due to corruption and scandals in the last eight years should force religious leaders to bring in homosexuals to bolster their faithful ranks. Free market lovers and capitalists should salivate over the millions of dollars per year that would be generated by expanding the potential marriages in need of over-priced catering and attire. It is time for groups in favor of civil unions to play these cards to expand rights from Maine to California.
