Buried in the endless torrent of asinine legislation, I was pleased to find that gay marriage rights have been maintained in Massachusetts.
A divisive topic, to be sure — but the gay folks have been getting married for years now and yet the world continues to function. Massachusetts didn’t succumb to natural disasters and in fact the institution of marriage hasn’t been desecrated. In fact, the Massachusetts divorce rate is the best in the nation and seems to be improving. Not that the divorce rate is a good indicator of family functionality anyways, but as long as we’re oversimplifying and looking to lay blame we should at least get our facts straight.
So if things are still going okay, why all the hubbub? Even if you thought it was a terrible idea before, does the lack of horrific consequence give you any peace? And if it stays this way for the rest of your life and there’s no negative effect on families or children, would you be okay with it? If there’s no problem, then… what’s the problem?
Okay, I’ll shut up now. But I had wallow to in such a rare moment of seeing things go the right direction.
Oh: I have a gay uncle who opposes gay marriage on the grounds that he thinks marriage sucks. But that’s another story.
Oh Oh: I have two more posts from Africa to put up, and then I’ll catch up on the things that have been going on since my return to the US well over a month ago!
So who exactly was expecting catastrophic doom?
You make it sound as though we were supposed to see the “horrific consequences” of this action within a few hours. Like one of the gay right supporters proclaimed only 3 hours before the vote . . . . “The sky hasn’t fallen for four years now!”
Oh, I see, World War 3 was waiting to happen once the gays were given the right to marry in Massachusetts. Sorry, didn’t get the memo.
What I do know is that the consequences of this “right” afforded to gays will not be felt for years, maybe even decades or dare I say . . . a century. This of course is the failure of both the right and left when it comes to new legislation.
What happens, sir, when the rights of people with strong moral convictions who hold marriage to be heterosexual are stripped away. Of course not tomorrow, or even before 2017 (just a year I’m throwing at the wall). But eventually, when this generation has faded to the grave and a new one has taken root in the public square, would it be such a stretch to see people given an ultimatum to support gay “marriage” or lose some portion of their freedom? I don’t think so.
Then again – maybe that kind of America is the one you’d really like to see.
Re: So who exactly was expecting catastrophic doom?
Thanks for the response! I agree four years isn’t an adequate test case, But if you read the quotes from the article I linked, I think it is clear that the opponents thought we were in for serious trouble even in the short term.
So if four years isn’t enough to see any problems, then how long is? You said maybe a century… so in other words you and I will never know. I suppose in that case there’s not much point in us arguing about it; if the people a century from now see clear problems emerging they can change things back with my blessing.
Like you, I also feel I have strong moral convictions. One of those convictions is that all people should be equal before their government. So no, I wouldn’t want rights taken away from people who don’t approve of gay marriage. I find it highly unlikely that such a thing would happen.
To put a more personal note on it: I am part of a mixed race marriage, something that was illegal in most US states just over a century ago, much for the same reasons. In 1959 a Virginia judge stated: “Almighty God created the races, white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.” He was not alone in this position.
The case went to the Supreme Court in 1967 and, luckily for me and my lovely wife, mixed race marriages became everyone’s right. Forty years later I don’t see how this has negatively effected the rights of same race spouses. I am sure there are still a few people who think that my marriage is an abomination, but other than looking a little foolish at this point, they are still free to live however they want.
If you and I were alive in a century I’d be happy to take you out to a fine dinner if today’s gay marriage debate doesn’t look as misguided as the mixed race marriage debate does to us today.
I’d also be happy to continue the discussion, but I don’t want to litter my blog with it. Feel free to write me at jon@binadopta.com if you like.
Re: So who exactly was expecting catastrophic doom?
Hey, you opened the can of worms in your LJ, don’t be so fast to close it there.
Actually, I’d be interested to see the logical progression this person implies when suggesting that allowing people of different likes/dislikes more freedom will eventually lead to taking away freedom from people of different likes/dislikes.
Seems so remarkably contradictory that I can’t figure it out. Then again, people can be pretty illogical so I couldn’t say it would never happen either.
Re: So who exactly was expecting catastrophic doom?
er… and when I say, “people can be pretty illogical” I mean the people who would eventually legislate away the freedom of those who don’t support gay marriage, not the poster.
Re: So who exactly was expecting catastrophic doom?
Well alright: I don’t mind debates like this, but I was trying to be considerate to my regular blog readers who might find it irritating. But what the heck, if you’re okay with it and I’m okay with it, let it fly.
Though it’s possible the anonymous poster won’t check back (they haven’t written to me), I retract my request to take the discussion private. Speak your mind right here. We’ll see if anything comes of it. Perhaps we’ll solve the fate of the world in the process.
Peace.