Somewhere Over The Rainbow

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