On November 4, Proposition 8 amended the California state constitution to define marriage as something solely between a man and a woman. Hate, intolerance, and willful ignorance wrote discrimination into law, but the will of the majority should not be allowed overrule the rights of the minority.
Any argument against gay marriage is based on bias and prejudice. The only thing someone could know about me from learning my sexual orientation is who I happen to be attracted to. Any other assumptions are invalid and unfair, using the same rationale that makes it wrong to make assumptions about people because of their race, religion, or social class. What reason, then, can there be for barring me from marrying whomever I please? I have white picket fence ambitions and wouldn’t mind raising a happy family in middle-class suburbia, but for a long time, this particular version of the American Dream has been an exclusive club, forbidding blacks, poor people, and of course, gays, to join.
For the most part, America is a great place to be a minority. Most of my rights are protected, except for the glaring fact that my rights as a homosexual are being ignored, with hatred being institutionalized by state legislatures across the country. How can the law discriminate against me? Why can’t I have equal rights? Why should certain people’s moral code intrude upon my life?
It is laughable to believe that homosexuals are trying to press some kind of agenda. I want the same rights that others have: the same tax cuts, liberties, and simple recognition. I am not trying to take away anyone else’s rights or meddle in anyone else’s personal affairs. I don’t believe that anyone has the right to pass judgment upon me or to condemn my love. Why does my love have to be voted on?
But, as we all know, there’s no use crying over spilled milk. Four more states passed legislation that discriminates against gay people during this past election. The only thing to do now is to stand up and fight. As a member of GU Pride’s board, I am very proud of the post-election reaction I saw from members of the organization, with two protests and a rally in one week alone. This energy cannot stop-it is absolutely essential. If we are going to change people’s minds, we have to be in their faces telling them what is what. If we want Washington to listen, we have to yell louder. Pride will soon introduce the position of a political advocacy chair, and I’m sure this stamina will continue. Georgetown’s proximity to the White House and the potential to create visible change is one of its greatest advantages, and we must not take that for granted.
The facts are simple. Homosexuals are a minority in America today. Without the right to marry, they are put at a disadvantage to the heterosexual majority and denied certain privileges. I am not worth less because I am a homosexual. In America, we are all equal and we all deserve the same rights-including marriage.
