The Fight for Gay Marriage

The fight for the national acceptance of gay marriage has been going on much longer than most are aware. This fight has been overshadowed by other larger movements, and until recently, has been a very hushed topic. Within the past decade, gay members of every society have risen above hatred and fear and have taken a stand for their own rights. More people fighting for a cause equals more coverage of the cause, thus causing more people to take notice.

Gay people have been around since the beginning of time, most were just silenced by hatred and shame. The fear of being harmed psychically outweighed their desire to come together and demand change. Most gay people were very much "in the closet" until recently, having no one to turn to, and no way of knowing which of their peers also shared their same sexuality. The movements of recent that allow gay people more protection and the form of organizations have given them a universal voice.

Gay people have most certainly evolved into more open people, who are willing to be outwardly proud of who they are, but isn't this true of every minority group? It took African Americans a long time to be considered equals, but together they accomplished what they rightfully deserved, national acceptance of who they were and the same rights as every other man and woman who inhabit the United States.

It is not that gay people never considered themselves deserving of the right to marriage, it's just that it has taken considerable time for them to be heard. Slaves never considered themselves deserving of their fate, but they were oppressed by the masses. Only when they came together and fought for their rights did anyone finally start to listen. Their right of passage was not by any means an easy or short one, but in time acceptance came. This is not to say that everyone sees African Americans as equals, they still face discrimination and hatred, as do almost all minorities.

Gay rights have been no different. Gay people have not come this far by lying down and waiting for someone to bestow their rights upon them. They will certainly always face prejudice and intolerance, but in time the views of the world will change, as they always historically have. Having asked someone twenty years ago if gay people should have the right to marry, the answer would certainly be drastically different from those today. While it is still not nationally accepted, time has changed more than a few minds.

The most unjustified of all arguments against gay marriage is that it threatens the sanctity of marriage. People say that allowing gay people to marry would change their views on exactly what marriage means to them. Marriage in fact means completely different things to each married couple, and to each individual for that matter. Just as different people have diverse religious beliefs, so does their individual meaning of marriage. If your marriage is considered a holy union by yourself and your spouse, that should have no hindrance on the meaning of marriage to others. This argument also denies the right of the separation of church and state. Religious beliefs do not belong in the law for a reason, because everyone living under common law does not share the same religious beliefs.

There is also the argument that gay marriage would lead to heinous crimes and the legalization of things such as bestiality or incest. This is nothing but a tactic used by people to justify their own fanaticism of gay people as a whole. If gay marriage were to lead to these things, we would have already seen proof of this in the many areas of the world where gay marriage is legal. The point of this argument is to continue the oppression by fear of gay people.

If society as a whole were to determine that marriage is a union between two people who love and devote themselves to each other, our divorce rate would surely not be what it is today. People are forced to hide behind facades in order to be accepted by peers and sometimes even their families. Some gay people marry and try to lead a heterosexual life, only to find their happiness unfulfilled. These people often divorce their spouses to pursue their true feelings and to find some kind of contentment within their lives.

Gay couples whose marriages are not recognized in their state are also denied the same rights of "traditional" marriages. A spouse often times is not allowed to make medical decisions for their partner, even if they have power of attorney. Gay couples are also not granted conjugal visits if one is imprisoned. A partner can lose the right to property or even so much as the right to visit the hospital room of a spouse if the family contests it. In some instances, a will or custody decision won't hold up in court or can be overturned or challenged by the deceased's family, even if they were estranged.

Many people say that gay couples do not bother them, but they are against gay marriage. They feel that it threatens them in some way. If you are threatened by anyone's marriage, gay or otherwise, you should take a deeper look at yourself to seek out the reasons for those insecurities, not decide other people's rights because of them.

History has shown us that people can and do rise above discrimination, and the sooner we accept that everyone is due equal rights, the quicker we will be able to move towards a tolerant nation. Hatred can be diminished but our society as a whole has to embrace change that may be outside of our normal comfort zone. The fact that one person is gay and chooses to marry a partner should have no more effect on us as individuals than a person of a different faith choosing to follow it.