Monday, May 7, 2012

Can We Put The Same Sex Marriage Issue To Rest Already! Enough Is Enough!


Vice President Joe Biden
May 7, 2012 By: D.DiFrancesco
Vice President Joe Biden said Sunday he was "absolutely comfortable" with the idea of same-gender marriage.
"I just think that the good news is that as more and more Americans come to understand what this is all about, it is a simple proposition: Who do you love? Who do you love? And will you be loyal to the person who love?" Biden said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
He then followed up with, "I think 'Will and Grace' did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody has ever done," , referring to the former NBC comedy.
So what is wrong with the Vice President’s comments?  Nothing!  Whether this is his view or the view of the administration is totally irrelevant.   What it shows is that the Vice President at least, holds the same opinion that most contemporary thinking Americans have, that the LGBT community deserves the same rights and respect that the heterosexual community currently enjoys.
Those that oppose these rights are typically our evangelical brothers and sisters as well as  those otherwise predisposed toward religion intermingling with all things.  These very same individuals will cry for the separation of church and state while plotting to inject their religious views into our public lives.  Unfortunately, you can't have it both ways.
The founding fathers worked very hard to keep their religious views out of the public realm.  Did their views ever influence their decisions...probably simply because they were human, but those such as Thomas Jefferson made a committed effort to avoid religious influence in public policy.  We should do the same at any cost.
Same Sex Marriage - Getty Images/Comstock
Those that take the anti-gay marriage viewpoint are ultimately denying not just marital  rights, but the civil rights of this segment of our population.  Doing so is not going to make them go away, no matter how hard they try.  So why then as a nation shouldn't we embrace them, they are our brothers and sisters, and fellow human beings after all.
Long term, what affect with any of this have on the religious right?  Absolutely none!  Heterosexuals will always be heterosexuals, and homosexuals will still be homosexual.  A marital equality law will in no way change that.  All it will do is give legal rights to same sex partners that they don't currently have.  That in my view, is a good thing and does not infringe on my rights at all, but instead enhances another's life.
Why Vice President Biden's comments have been such a focus of media attention is beyond me.  For all of the flack that he takes for his misstatements, this time I think that he is spot on.
Take religion out of the same sex marriage issue and it becomes a non-issue instantly.  Equal rights are equal rights for all under the constitution so lets separate church and state from the issue, as it should be, and put this to rest once and for all.
What side do you take on the issue?

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