Again I get the privilege of
saying welcome to the all-new America! I am so proud of our country right now.
I love America, and the freedoms it affords me…now, those freedoms have been
extended to another section of our society. Yesterday, June twenty sixth two
thousand fifteen, the supreme court of the United States of America decided
five to four, three women and two men, that the practice of discriminating
against gay Americans in regards to marriage is unconstitutional.
That means that in all fifty
states gay couples can and will get marriage licenses, and they will be legally
binding the same as marriages between straight couples. As a gay friend of mine
said “now I am not a second class citizen. All of my years of paying taxes and
being a very productive member of society are now being recognized!”
Almost instantly the news raced across
our country via FaceBook, Twitter, and other social medias “gay marriage is now
legal!” and from what I saw the support was overwhelming. People on FaceBook
started changing their profile pictures to rainbow hued representing the
rainbow symbol that is the universal flag of the LGBT community.
There is some descent though.
Four of the Supreme Court justices voted against the decision…four Catholic
men. There was also some fallout in the media and those same social medias. One
of the arguments was that the ruling interfered with their religious freedoms. Another
argument was that homosexuality is a sin and that God is against it. The third
and, in my opinion dumbest, “it is gross.”
First of all I would like to remind
you the reader that we are not a country with a national religion…in fact we
are a country with the freedom of choice in religion, or lack thereof. In this
great country we are free to believe what we want, and we are protected in that
freedom. We cannot be persecuted by the state for our religious beliefs. You
can believe in whatever you want. You can go to the church of your choice.
Now here comes the thing that a
large portion of Christians don’t like about that protection, it also applies
to other religions and atheists. That is right…in this country you can believe
in whatever your heart dictates and the law will protect your freedoms…except
when those freedoms infringe on the freedoms of others.
You may decide that being gay is
wrong, and you are free to that belief. Your church can decide to not recognize
gay marriages. In fact your church can deny you a marriage for whatever
religious reason they come up with weather you are straight or gay.
But the government does not have that
freedom. Our government cannot hold up the freedoms of one religion over
another. And the practice of denying homosexuals the legal right to form a
legal union, a marriage, is solely a religious practice and there is no actual
legal reason other than religious objection.
State sanctioned legally binding
contracts, or marriages, are not religious in and of themselves. They are a
contract between the government and two consenting adults, and thanks to the Supreme
Court that includes gay consenting adults.
Now having said all of that…thank
you Supreme Court Justices for siding on the side of civil rights! And if you
have an objection to the ruling because of your religion, more power to you.
Thank God I live in a country that eventually learns that bigotry should not be
the law in the land!
Hell yeah, gay marriage is legal!
How do you like them apples!
Wander AKA Chris McQueeney
Wander AKA Chris McQueeney
