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In Order to Form A More Perfect Union, Leave the Constitution Alone
Jim Ver Steeg
By Jim Ver Steeg, Pride Center Director
Lately we have all heard a great deal about “gay marriage” – not the least of which has been the unfortunate announcement made by President Bush that he supports a Constitutional Amendment that defines marriage as existing only between a man and a woman. But to define the issue as “gay marriage” is a misnomer. There is no such thing. There is simply marriage, which should afford all citizens equal rights, privileges and responsibilities under the law.
Not since Prohibition has there been an Amendment that serves to limit, rather than increase or expand, the civil rights and liberties for American citizens. To target one particular group of Americans and effectively relegate them to second-class status defies the very tenets and principles used to create, define and govern the United States.
It is nothing short of an outrage that any American should be forced to live with the humiliation of a less-than-equal status; and in a country where the lines between church and state are becoming increasingly blurred, it is perhaps even more distressing that any specific religious code is being used to justify that inequality.
Equal marriage rights for LGBT persons has never been an attempt to question, undermine or even influence any type of religious marriage. Instead, it is a movement grounded firmly in equal rights for those of us deserving the same recognition, responsibilities and respect for our partners, families and committed unions.
We invite you to take action by writing your local, state and federal representatives in support of equal marriage rights. Several links are available on this site to help you do just that. If you need further assistance or information, please don’t hesitate to email us here at the Pride Center: info.
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