- You can't change our laws for something that affects only a small percentage of Americans.
We can, we do and we always have. . Slavery was outlawed -- slaves were not the majority population. Interracial marriages were given legal recognition -- those seeking to marry outside their race were not the majority population. We've strengthened and protected the rights of the handicapped -- the handicapped are not the majority population. Etc…. Legislating on behalf of "the least among us" is a path well trod because, as Americans, we legislate for the greater good, not necessarily the greater number.
Further, those who are seeking to ban gay marriages are doing exactly that!! They are seeking to make a change to state laws and/or to our constitution that would place an official limitation on the rights of that same small minority of people.
It bears noting, here, that legal recognition of same-gendered unions wouldn't necessarily apply only to "gay" couples. As I discussed in a previous installment, same-gendered marriages would be entered into for all the reasons opposite gendered marriages are currently entered into.
For example, platonic "estate marriages" are and long have been a very common practice among seniors. Legal recognition of same-gendered marriages would help to level the playing field for female senior citizens seeking estate protection from greedy relatives through marriage to a trusted friend. Women tend to live longer, thus single senior females greatly outnumber single senior males and a much higher percentage of senior males than senior females currently have the option to take advantage of these protections.
Gay Marriage -- Table of Contents
No comments:
Post a Comment