Beginning on March 26, two same-sex marriage cases went to trial in the Supreme Court in California. As we all know, these trials are a fairly big deal; same-sex marriage is legal in only nine states and in Washington, D.C. California is looking to be next on the list of legal states as of last week.
The U.S. Defense of Marriage Act, a 17-year-old doctrine, states that marriage is between a man and a woman. Therefore, members of the gay community residing in the 41 other states that claim same-sex marriage as illegal are excluded from acquiring any government marital benefits.
The most obvious argument against legalizing gay marriage is procreation. According to those who take issue with same-sex marriage, marriage is for the purpose of producing children. Another common argument against same-sex marriage is religion. Apparently falling in love with someone of the same sex is a monstrosity and as punishment you should be ostracized from society.
In honor of the trials, many organizations and businesses “came out” with their support of same-sex marriage. Facebook went “red” as a pink equals sign (=) with a deep red background graced profile pictures everywhere. If you support same-sex marriage, you were asked to spread the word.
According to huffingtonpost.com, Budweiser, Absolut Vodka, and Target are among many others who are happy to spread the fact their companies support same-sex marriage.
I did not change my Facebook profile picture to the same sex-marriage support picture but I “shared” it (“share” is Facebook lingo, for those who are unfamiliar!) and I’m proud to be a supporter.
Nicholas Etheridge, president of Shepherd University’s gay-straight alliance organization Allies offered some thoughts on “red” Facebook. “The going red thing to me is a representation of our support for this cause. Obviously, it’s not going to be a part of the debate, but it’s inspiring to see all my friends’ profile pictures. Makes me want to do more and shows me I have support. It’s also important for younger folks to see. It shows those who might feel alone see that there is some light.”
The question that always comes to my mind when same-sex marriage is debated is, “why would anyone prevent someone from love?” I am straight but am capable of seeing things from multiple perspectives.
From close friends to characters on my favorite television shows, I know that being gay is sometimes quite the ordeal. As if the coming out process and meeting a life partner isn’t difficult enough, you then have to come to terms with the fact you probably won’t be able to marry legally, unless you are willing to move away.
As of these trials, 58 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage. As for the other 42 percent who are against same-sex marriage, come talk to me when you have credible and feasible evidence as to why same-sex couples should not be allowed to marry.
These trials are bringing light to the ever-evolving country that is the United States. They give Americans a chance to move forward, to close the gap of segregation, and to acknowledge that we are, in fact, on our way to a more perfect union.