Gay Marriage:
By David Thornbrugh
|
|
同性愛者の結婚
同性同士の結婚は法律で認めるべきか、アメリカ下院で論争になっている。同性間結婚は「結婚」そのものの品格に傷を付けるとか不自然であると批判する人も多いが、筆者は、それらの反発は、彼らへの無知や偏見からきていると分析する。
|
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
(C) All rights reserved
|