Gay Equality on Horizon

When trying to understand why not to bother with any more anti-gay marriage sentiment, here are some quick facts to consider:

-Prior to the commencement of signature gathering for the anti-gay marriage petition, Arno Political Consultants was paid approximately $80,000 to bring in out of state workers here who were paid by the amount of signatures they collected.

-We are expected to believe that these people were going to fairly and honestly collect signatures even though we knew that many of these workers had criminal records including fraud.

-almost 50,000 signatures have been thrown out due to fraud, and now there is an ongoing criminal investigation into this fraud.

-The supporters of this amendment still say they have 170,000 signatures instead of 123,000+ in an overt attempt to mislead people.

-Although out of state thugs collected a vast majority of these signatures instead of our own citizens, and in spite of the fact that fraud has been exposed, this petition is still heralded as the will of the people in another attempt to deceive.

No arguably sound justification has ever been given for denying gay marriage. The campaign against it is one based on emotions, lies, and fear rather than logic. We need to be ever mindful of the temptation of imposing our values on others, lest we create such social tyranny as that which we once fled so many generations ago to form this free land. In standing up for gay marriage you stand up for the principle of liberty that makes this country great. We are strong not in spite of our individualities, but because of them. There is room in America for all beliefs to co-exist peacefully, allowing us to learn things from one another and grow, rather than stagnate thinking we already have all the answers. No one religion has the right to dictate what is morally best for the rest of us, even if that opinion is shared with nearly everyone.

By honoring the constitutional mandate separating church from state, we keep the hope alive that all people are in fact equal, at least in the eyes of the government. Being gay is not a crime and it is high time we start making sure it is not treated as one. Due process is required of all courts wishing to impose judgment. Where is the due process of telling someone the only reason that you can’t get married is that you are gay? There is no honor in supporting the fears of a group of people who feel threatened and offended by their neighbor’s liberty.

Living a gay lifestyle in a straight world is hard enough without the added indignity of government sanctified discrimination. All the gay community is asking is that the government represents all of us equally. People are free to follow their own beliefs uninhibited by their fellow citizens; there need be no compromise on this. Those who say that the gay community is trying to impose their will upon you are lying, and they do so to try to get you to act out of instinct instead of logic. The citizens of this state are better than that. They are a savvy crowd that resents being lied to, and they have a history of leading the country and world in social progress.

I ask you to think for a moment if you were ever caught in a situtation where you felt different, and out of place with the others around you. Did anyone come to your defense, or comfort you when you felt this way? Now is the time for you to repay that good deed with one of your own. Reject hate and tell your representatives that you want the anti-gay marriage amendment killed, and you want them to get back to more important matters. If you don’t our state will be plunged into another year of vitriol over this issue, and all for not. Anyone who has an in depth understanding of law knows that this amendment cannot get past the Supreme Court because it creates two classes of people within the gay community. It allows gay people who are already married recognition, but denies future marriages. This is not an allowable situation. Even if you disagree with my point of view you should still be able to admit that there is no wisdom in an act of futility. Tell your representatives not to waste any more time on this amendment. Its time to move on, and we need to start talking about this with our friends so that anyone who is confused about the truth can be better informed.

We have all lived to see the folly of inaction when we don’t take our responsibility as citizens seriously. We have also just recently seen what we can do if we rise up and take a stand. Stand with me on this issue and have the pleasure, the honor, of being able to tell your future generations how you helped end the last bastion of discrimination in American history. Your place in history is not with the like of George Wallace and Strom Thurman. I call on you to stand up for what is right on principle alone. You don’t need a vested interest in this issue, delivering justice is its own reward. Its all up to those of you who have not yet spoken on this issue, the many in the middle caught in the crossfire. I trust in you to become vocal advocates for equality because you know in your hearts its the right thing to do. Remember that Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

“As Mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.”

George Washington, 1790