“The sanctity of marriage,” is a phrase often thrown around when discussing the issue of same sex marriage. The 
phrase throws back to the idea of marriage being holy; however, the country’s divorce rate lingers around the 50% mark. What makes marriage a holy act when the planning process gets smothered in all of the planning materials one could ask for that also continue to neglect including any sort of marriage success strategies? It seems like our priorities have gotten a little mixed up when we cannot distinguish between the material identity of a wedding from the acknowledgment of two people wanting to commit to being there for together.
I understand there are some religious issues when it comes to addressing the GLBTQ community. I won’t get into disputing the biblical claims that this community is somehow “less than” or “unholy.” I will get into how making anyone seem less human by denying them equal rights is far from any sort of spiritual principle resembling that of love. As has been made obvious by the title of my blog, I am a feminist. I define that as desiring the equal treatment and rights of every human being; most specifically women. That being said, I can’t participate in the whole wedding process without acknowledging that I have the right to express my commitment with my partner in front of loved ones and having it legally recognized by the state while others don’t. There are people who wouldn’t get to make medical decisions for their partner if they were incapacitated. There is also the possibility they wouldn’t be allowed to see them in the hospital, or inherit property from them after their death. I cannot imagine what it would feel like to have a committed relationship viewed as less valid than a heterosexual relationship.
I have a friend who is transgendered. She transitioned from male to female about a year and a half ago. She was married to a woman, but now that she is living as a woman her marriage of over 10 years is not valid. The state of Michigan has revoked their marriage license. They’re still together, but are no longer are considered legally married. The state of Michigan denied same sex couples the right to marry in 2004. Does the state have the right to say who can and cannot marry? That’s probably a whole other political debate, but does anyone have the moral right to denounce a healthy loving relationship?
To be honest, I’m angry that same sex couples do not have the right to marry. Love is love no matter who participates in it. That’s one reason why I joined HRC (Human Rights Campaign). I signed up as a member, and now I get notified when there is legislation going through the city and state government. I can then e-mail my representative or the city council my concerns about the issue. I also donate money to help lobbyists gain ground in having legislation passed to include sexual orientation in equal opportunity employment laws and other issues concerning the GLBTQ community. Joe Solmonese is the president of HRC and also their DC lobbyist. Here’s an interview he did on The Colbert Report for your entertainment.
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