All you need is love.

One of my key issues in life is gay marriage.  I'm not gay, but I have a hard time understanding why I can marry a man in the eyes of the state, but I can't marry a woman.  Sure, it's a historical thing, but why haven't we fixed it?  And why are arguments based in Christianity even relevant in our country that was founded on religious freedom?  I'm not Christian and neither is my government.  At least, that's how it's supposed to be.  If a particular church doesn't want to marry homosexuals, that's fine, and I would fight and die for their right to their religious freedoms... I'm just not sure what that has to do with me and my right to a legal marriage in the United States of America. 

As a heterosexual, I actually have issue with getting legally married in a country where homosexuals can't.  I very much believe in marriage, and I would like to get married someday, but I find myself wondering whether a packet of legal forms couldn't be generated to bind a couple legally (leaving the rest to the spiritual realm of my choice) without actually getting "married" in the eyes of the state - something that results in more taxes and which isn't available to all Americans.  Company health insurance remains the hang up on that theory.

So.  Rachael over at Yarn-a-Go-Go has an idea in reaction to the Massachusetts "Constitutional Amendment to Define Marriage":

The signers of the anti-gay marriage petition in Massachusetts (the so-called Constitutional Amendment to Define Marriage) are listed here and are a matter of public record. It's a hateful, unloving thing to put your name to, although I support their right to do so.

It's just that I'd like them to make a positive difference, if only in spite of themselves.

Please read her entry, and if you have the inclination and the means, consider her suggestion, because it's pretty damn funny and really quite clever.  And it's for a good old-fashioned American cause:

FREEDOM.

tag: gay marriage, Constitutional Amendment to Define Marriage, Massachusetts Constitutional Amendment to Define Marriage, freedom

Comments

[Mariannika]

Hi,

I love your post!

A great group you should check out is MassEquality (www.massequality.org) they are a state group that has been defending marriage equality in Massachusetts.

Best,
~Mariannika

[T]

Hey. Just found my way randomly to your blog. I actually blogged about the whole gay marriage thing on my blog a while back and coincidentily I had a talk with my girlfriend about it just the other day. I like you am not so sure I want to be part of an institution that doesn't recognize that two people, any two people, can love each other. If the state can "limit" who loves each other, what does that say about my love with my partner and why do I want to be part of a system that so blantantly discriminates against a segment of society?

[Rachael]

Thanks so much for gettin' the word out, dear....
xo

[Rich]

The company I work for (a larger company) actually does provide insurance benefits to a gay couple. They ask you to sign a form stating you are in a long term relationship with a same gender partner and would be married if legally permitted. Then the partner gets benefits indestinguishable from a spouse's.