I have mixed feeling about the whole gay marriage debate. On the one hand, I really support gay marriage and how I would very much like to live in a society that would allow me to marry in the manner of my choice. On the other hand, as gay youth, marriage isn’t something that’s incredibly important to me at this point. I’m supportive, but I don’t feel like this is my fight, given my situation. My other feeling about the fight for gay marriage is that it’s lead by a certain group of people whose hearts may not be in the right place.
A friend of mine once said that the HRC, which is the de facto leader of the mainstream fight for gay marriage, is a group of white gay men who don’t what their sexuality to interfere with their other assorted privileges. They’re not homophobic, granted, but I don’t feel they’re inclusive of non-gay queers, and I think that’s a real problem. I’ve been known to say, that I haven’t heard an argument for gay marriage (or similar HRC issue), that I disagree with. Granted, some are better than others but that doesn’t mean that on some level they are all right. The other thing I don’t like about the HRC is that it’s fairly indifferent towards gay youth. Organizationally, I can see why this is the case, but at the same time I don’t approve.
Having gay sex legalized, legitimizes the culture, and that’s something that is unbelievably important, but having marriage rights are a really logical extension. It’s also an extension that is desperately needed. At least right now, I think that the gay rights like marriage are going to be won in the courts rather than in the legislatures, because it’s a hard issue to pull the politicians around, but the issues have fairly sound legal arguments. Perhaps the courts aren’t the best venue to achieve social justice victories, but since it’s the only venue, it’ll have to do.
The other thing about gay marriage that gets left out too much is that ultimately the issue is a matter of church and state. Religion has the right to dictate what happens within their faith, but they don’t have the right to dictate the policy and behavior of this government. Let the religions marry whomever they want or don’t want, but it’s not the business of the church to dictate who the state marries. And the fact that secularist activists haven’t joined forces with the gay marriage movement, is quite troubling.
So regardless, Bush has declared a Marriage Protection week. I’m appalled, and there’s no other way to say it. I mean really now, how dare he. How dare he?!? It’s appalling for all the normal, “marriage is about heterosexuality” reasons, but it’s also appalling that he has associated breading with marriage, when this isn’t even a truth in heterosexual relationships. Thus, he’s extremely short sited or he’s downright malicious, and I’m willing to bet on the later.
Bush has every right to believe whatever he wants about marriage, queers, African-Americans, Jewish folks, Asian American’s, Disabled people, youth, Hispanics, Arabs, and women. I’m betting that, his beliefs are wrong, but anyone who really wants to remain ignorant and blind to truth in the world certainly may; ultimately it’s his loss. What Bush does not is impose his ignorance onto the rest of us. Well he does have the right to do that, but it’s AMORAL. I mean really what’s worse, me and queers everywhere falling in love (and having sex), or Bush degrading the lives and love of fellow humans?