Did I choose an easy target? Yes, but hang in there.
1) "80% of Americans believe gays are gross."
Gallop polls are, arguably, one of the most trusted sources for polling public opinion and while they have never posted a poll, that I could find, that gathered data on how gross gays are, they do post poll data of how Americans feel about gay marriage. Here's one now! It even has a line graph for those of us that prefer to look at pictures and feel reading is a bit overrated. The support of gay marriage has increased by 23% since 1996 and has taken the lead by a 3% margin as of the date on this poll. So, unless it started at -3%, 80% seems a bit lacking in the logic department. Furthermore, peas and mushrooms are gross. Pretending to drink blood and eat flesh is gross. Actually drinking blood and eating flesh is gross. Finding the person that makes you happy and adds value to your life is freakin' awesome.
2) "God says gay marriage should be illegal."
This argument is irrelevant. I'm not even going to get into a "he said/she said" argument on this hot mess. It does not matter in any way, shape or form what any god said or didn't say on a the subject of American laws. Here's a letter written by Thomas Jefferson that basically says, "Get your bible outta my politics". The Baptist church was full of members of the same political affiliation as Jefferson and they all thought they were going to get a say in Jefferson's administration. This letter and the First Amendment were cited by the Supreme Court when they released this statement:
"The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach."-Supreme Court, Everson v. Board of Education, 1947
So even if somebody thinks their god says gay marriage should be illegal, it doesn't matter one little bit.
I guess the point of my rant this lovely fall evening would be that regardless of your religion, philosophy or moral creed, the rights of people are not for you decide. If you want freedom and the right to follow your own path then learn to recognize that same desire in others. Fight the fight for everybody's rights instead of this belief that you can only have what you want if the freedoms of others are diminished. Whether you believe that a god gave us the right to be free or that it is just part of being a individual, we must all recognize that the rights afforded to the those that are different from us do not lessen the rights we have come to expect.
Also, this the best gay rights argument I've seen in 10-words-or-less on a poster board in a long time:
Initially, I thought "here we go, another omnipotent liberal who has all the answers about gay rights..." but I was very pleasantly surprised with your post.
ReplyDeleteIn her entry, she chose to address the two major arguments her friend presented when confronted with the issue of gay marriage rights: 1) most people (80%) think gays are gross, and 2) God says it's wrong. Though these are only two of the many reasons people oppose marriage equality, I believe they are the most common.
Her argument against the first statement was very effective in that she provided a link to a recent gallup poll showing an increase in favorability of equal marriage rights among Americans. It seems, she laments, that times and opinions are changing. She rounds off her argument by stating that while there are many things that are gross, finding someone to share your life with certainly isn't one of them.
Her next argument addressed the whole "God thinks it's wrong" concept that many, many Christians use to defend their opposition of gay marriage rights. She lightly dusted over this topic and I wish she had expressed herself a bit more on it. She did provide a link to some historical information regarding Thomas Jefferson's ideology that church and state should remain separate, and that definitely bolstered her argument. I was hoping to see her explore the hypocrisy of the religious aspect of this argument, because it's one that many people use in their arsenal when debating (both for and against) this topic. Her opinion was such that religion has no place in politics, so it shouldn't matter what God thinks of a particular legal or government issue. Her position was definitely what I'd consider "liberal," in that she advocates for fighting for rights for everyone - not just a particular group or cause that you believe in.
She ended the article on a humorous note, which was uplifting considering the topic is generally so heatedly and passionately debated. My only criticism would be that I wish she had explored the religious aspect further because I think this is something that is often "talked about" but never truly explored. It's easy to throw scripture around and quote others on the topic but what about what you (the individual) REALLY think? I, for one, am a Christian. I believe in God, and I believe in the bible. I try hard to live what I consider an "honest" life and I try to consider my Christian principles in all of my decisions. Most people that use the "religion card" when discussing marriage equality do it from the stance of "it's biblically wrong,' or "it's immoral in God's eyes." I'm not one of those Christians. The way I see it, God unconditionally loves ALL those who love and accept Him. There are many parts of the bible that are archaic in concept, and as a modern society we must be able to adapt in order to survive. I don't believe God wants anyone - Christians or not - to pass judgment on another person. It's no more my right to judge someone for being gay and wanting to marry a person of the same sex than it is their right to judge me for being heterosexual. I apply the bible and its principles to MY life and what decisions I make. It's not up to me to apply it to everyone else. I think, perhaps, this is the biggest component of the religious argument that many Christians fail to see and present when discussing this topic. I support marriage equality on the grounds of the most basic principle: EQUALITY.
Ms. Burks is absolutely right - it's not about religion or the appeal of the lifestyle. It's about basic human rights and until Americans realize that and stop pushing their beliefs on one another, unfortunately I just don't see anything changing. Good article!