After tonight I can't avoid the subject any longer... as a Libertarian, a heterosexual person, and a person who is objective, I have an opinion and I feel compelled to speak it.
Of course what started this subject for tonight was a segment on NHPR.org. I heard on the drive home.
Some history: Gay marriage became legal in NH as of Jan. 01, this year. It was a political/legislative/governor's signature thing. It overturned a law against person's of the same sex getting married. More specifically enabling "married gay person's" the same legal rights as heterosexual couples.
I have to admit... until this whole gay marriage thing came about - rather recently I think, I never realized how legal and political marriage is! I always thought of it as a religious thing. Well, I stand corrected.
Essentially... some citizens of NH are preparing to get referendums on ballots to overturn the new law allowing gay marriage. Great, more wasted news space, because frankly I don't see gay marriage as an issue for the state. Sure, there has to be state involvement in two people getting married. But really, isn't this a religious issue, more than it is a political one??? There shouldn't have been laws against it in the first place. It's the right of the individual, and a matter for the church.
Basically, the NH legislature and Gov. Lynch did us all a favor... those seeking to overturn the law miss the essential issue. No one is being hurt. No one is forcing you to be friends with everyone you meet. It's a church issue. Not a political one.
This will be a hot issue in many states in the coming years. I don't think government should be in the marriage business at all--making laws allowing or forbidding the practice meaningless.
ReplyDeleteDear BobKat,
ReplyDeleteWith the state, I agree with you. They recognize a legal covenant that protects the two people involved and the children they raise.
Between two people, it covers the gamut.
We have gay people in a double-bind--they are frequently viewed as less responsible, and the same people who say that don't give them the opportunity to assume those responsibilities. It makes me crazy.
Second, I see this issue as a big fund-raising opportunity for people who should mind their own business.
Thanks for bringing this up.
Ann T.