Gay Marriage (2004)
I think every student of the U.S. Constitution would agree that one of its main purposes is to prevent a majority from taking rights away from a minority simply because they can by majority vote. Issues which go to voters for direct votes are things like the state flag or tax increases. Thus it is very distressing to see a legislature consider setting out a popular vote about how certain people are to be classified, that an institution such as marriage is to be limited to certain people. Imagine if there had been a popular vote about women’ suffrage, or the end of slavery - should the general opinion of a particular group of human beings at a particular moment in history be allowed to override centuries of commitment to protecting equality? In other cultures, past and present, whether a person chooses to love someone of the same sex, or a different one, is not “normal” or “natural” but an opinion determined by the prejudices one learns in one’s life. Let’s discuss, let’s learn about each other, but let’s not set a terrible precedent of putting humanity to a vote.
Sally MacEwen
Sally MacEwen