Gay Marriage:

By David Thornbrugh

Should people of the same sex be allowed to marry? Many members of the United States House of Representatives don't think so. On July 12, the congressmen and women approved the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. This law would deny federal tax breaks, health benefits, and pensions to same-sex married couples.

Actually, no state allows such marriages right now anyway. So why would U.S representatives create laws against a condition that doesn't exist? For the good reason that gay marriage may soon be legal in at least one state.

In 1993 the Hawaiian Supreme Court ruled that the state couldn't ban same-sex marriage. The judges decided that the state had to show a "compelling reason" for banning such marriages. In September, the issue will be determined in a trial in Hawaii, which most legal experts predict the state of Hawaii will lose. That means same-sex marriages will be declared legal.

And that is why congressmen and women in Washington D.C. are nervous. Under U.S. law, a marriage in one state must be recognized in all other states ・ unless the separate states create laws refusing to recognize marriages in other states.

Is this confusing? It certainly is to me. The idea that I could be legally married in, say, Tennessee, but an outlaw in New Mexico is hard to understand. I certainly can't explain it.

What is so awful about allowing men to marry men, or women to marry women? Some opponents of gay marriage say that allowing people of the same sex to wed somehow "demeans" or cheapens heterosexual marriages. As a married heterosexual myself, I fail to see how a monogamous commitment between two men damages my own marriage. If a lesbian couple want to tie a bond of matrimony, I say, "Hooray." The divorce rate in America ・ strictly between members of the opposite sex ・ has been about 50 percent for years. If gays and lesbians want to contribute to those odds, I say let them.

Many people say that homosexuality is "unnatural." But what is natural about marriage? Some people say gays and lesbians shouldn't be allowed to marry because the purpose of marriage is to give birth to children and raise them in stable families. But not all married couples are parents, or want to be parents. Does that mean they shouldn't be allowed to remain married?

Mostly, though, I think many Americans object to homosexual marriage on religious grounds. Christians, especially, believe that marriage is a condition given to humans by God. But, by this logic, atheists shouldn't be allowed to marry either. And, for that matter, many homosexuals are sincere Christians.

No, I believe that resistance to gay marriage is largely a result of ignorance, prejudice and fear. Homosexuals who wish to marry are trying to promote love and unity in our troubled society. I say let them, and I applaud and support their efforts.

Shukan ST: Aug. 16, 1996

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