The wires are crackling this morning with news that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex couples have the legal right to marry anywhere in the country. The long-awaited ruling seemingly brings an end to the ridiculous state-by-state hodgepodge that marked the on-the-ground reality of this contentious issue.
Why the state was ever allowed to legislate who can marry who will always be a mystery to me. Why anyone feels that same-sex couples somehow threaten the supposed sanctity of marriage is another ridiculous notion that I hope today's ruling finally puts to rest. Why anyone feels he or she has the power to dictate who anyone else can love and build a future with is also beyond me. It always saddened me to watch opponents of same-sex marriage justify their positions, as they reminded me of the segregationists and apartheid-supporters before them. They represented the worst in all of us, and it shamed me to know they lived among us.
I'm not so naive as to believe that today's ruling will end the debate. Nor do I believe - as much as I wish otherwise - that opponents to same-sex marriage will suddenly cease their relentless campaign against the legitimate choices of others, choices that deeply reflect the fundamental rights we all deserve. Key word: All.
Humanity has spent a good chunk of its history discriminating against those deemed "different" in some way. Whether it's religion, ethnicity, gender, sexuality or any other trait, it's high time all of us who inhabit this planet learned to stop meddling in the rights of others, and instead embraced what makes us all so chaotically unique, and so delightfully willing and able to make this planet a place worth living.
Today's ruling by the Supreme Court is another positive step in a journey that remains altogether too long and arduous. May we always continue to be inspired by the light of acceptance that flickers ever brighter ahead. May we continue to step past the voices that would keep us stuck in a darker, less righteous place.
Why the state was ever allowed to legislate who can marry who will always be a mystery to me. Why anyone feels that same-sex couples somehow threaten the supposed sanctity of marriage is another ridiculous notion that I hope today's ruling finally puts to rest. Why anyone feels he or she has the power to dictate who anyone else can love and build a future with is also beyond me. It always saddened me to watch opponents of same-sex marriage justify their positions, as they reminded me of the segregationists and apartheid-supporters before them. They represented the worst in all of us, and it shamed me to know they lived among us.
I'm not so naive as to believe that today's ruling will end the debate. Nor do I believe - as much as I wish otherwise - that opponents to same-sex marriage will suddenly cease their relentless campaign against the legitimate choices of others, choices that deeply reflect the fundamental rights we all deserve. Key word: All.
Humanity has spent a good chunk of its history discriminating against those deemed "different" in some way. Whether it's religion, ethnicity, gender, sexuality or any other trait, it's high time all of us who inhabit this planet learned to stop meddling in the rights of others, and instead embraced what makes us all so chaotically unique, and so delightfully willing and able to make this planet a place worth living.
Today's ruling by the Supreme Court is another positive step in a journey that remains altogether too long and arduous. May we always continue to be inspired by the light of acceptance that flickers ever brighter ahead. May we continue to step past the voices that would keep us stuck in a darker, less righteous place.
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1 comment:
You put how I feel so well, and so much better than I could articulate, even though things are slightly different this side of the pond. Yes, we have the Evangelical Christian voices parading their views, but they are not so loud nor so ubiquitous as in the USA. Yes, there are anti-gays as there are racists in the UK, and plenty of them, but I feel, and I hope I am right, that they are in a minority. I think maybe the danger here is more apathy than strongly held views. Which, of course, allows extremist views to be heard and multiply.
There is enough evil in this world to worry about rather than who vows to be faithful to whom (?who).
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