Lindsay Harkins
English 125
I do. Or I would if you'd let me.
I grew up in a small mostly white
conservative town where being different was not accepted. I had a friend who
came out in eighth grade. I didn’t care, he was still the same guy, he just
liked guys. But a lot of the other kids were disgusted. They didn’t even know
him and he was a common topic of conversation, because he was different.
Our freshman year of high school he
brought his boyfriend to the homecoming dance. We all hung out on the outside
of the crowd, dancing and having a good time. A slow song came on and my friend
was dancing with his boyfriend. Word got around about it and people started
“casually” walking by to get a look. A gay person in Brighton was just unheard
of. Soon people started taking pictures and standing there and yelling at them.
My friend paid no attention to them, but myself and the rest of my friends
were disgusted. We went and stood between the crowd and our friend, told them
to go away. They kept yelling at us about how it was disgusting and they
shouldn’t have to see it, but soon they got bored and went away. To this day I
can not understand why it was so disgusting to them that he was gay.
 |
| Pictured: Another example of the hate gay people receive on a regular basis. [1] |
I suppose that is what comes of
growing up in a town with no diversity. We never really learned how to deal
with it. Even so, I didn’t see why we should be rude to someone because of
their race of even their sexuality. I still don’t understand why we do this.
Why should people not be allowed to marry simply because they are gay?
Dr. Martin Luther King went through
similar discrimination. He was not allowed certain rights because he was black.
For this reason King was always a proponent of equality. He explains that a law
is just if it promotes equality. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he
explains,
An unjust law is a code that a majority
inflicts on a minority that is not binding on itself. This is difference made
legal. On the other hand, a just law is a code that a majority compels a
minority to follow, and that it is willing to follow itself. This is sameness
made legal.[2]
King is flat-out telling us that if not
everyone has to follow a law, then it is unjust. By this, you could say that if
not everyone is banned from marriage, it is unjust. Here justice calls for
equality, which means everyone having the same marriage rights.
 |
| Pictured: People protesting gay marriage. [3] |
Some people would argue that
legalizing gay marriage would weaken the institution of marriage. To them, marriage
is a coveted rite of passage that should not be sullied by sin, and they
believe that being gay is a sin. They use verses from
the Bible to back up their claims. The most well known is Leviticus 20:13, “If
a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is
detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own
heads”[4]. Opponents of gay marriage would use this
verse to show why they believe being gay is a sin, and because they think it is
a sin, they don’t want to legalize it and allow it to taint the institution of
marriage.
This is a very hypocritical stance.
The Bible also says not to wear clothing of mixed fabric[5] and it’s pretty hard to find clothes today that aren’t a veritable blend of
this or that. Even one of the ten commandments, “You shall not misuse the name
of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses
his name,”[6], is broken often by anyone who utters the phrase
“Oh my God”. Everyone sins! What makes the so-called sin
of homosexuality any greater than other sins? Why should their sin deny them
the privilege of marriage that other sinners get to enjoy?
Dr. King talked of the “moral law of
God”, and how a law is unjust if it does not align with the moral law. He
states that, “All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts
the soul and damages the personality”[7]. And didn’t God tell us to love one
another? Here, it seems that the moral law of God is calling for equality. Dr.
King was a clergyman, but even so, equality was the most important thing in his
eyes; it’s what his entire fight was based on.
 |
| Pictured: Senator Baldwin on the eve of her election. [8] |
We
are making strides. In the recent election the first openly gay senator was
elected of and Maine and Maryland voted to legalize
gay marriage. They are the seventh and eighth states to legalize it, but more importantly the first to ratify by statewide vote rather than legislation. Chad
Griffin of the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay-rights group, was quoted
saying, “For the first time, voters in Maine and Maryland voted to allow loving
couples to make lifelong commitments through marriage…”[9]
However,
it isn’t quite enough. Everyone deserves to have the right to marry whomever he
or she loves. That is why gay marriage should be legalized on a national
level. Perhaps something along the lines
of Maine’s LD 1020, which repealed an earlier provision that prohibited
same-sex marriage[10]. Dr. King said, “…time is neutral. It can be used
either destructively or constructively”[11]. He means that we can’t sit around and
wait for legislation to come; that would be using time in a destructive way. We
have to work for national legislation. Be constructive! Always move forward!
[1] Jamie C. Baker, The Sanity of a Mad Woman, accessed December 3, 2012, http://www.google.com/imgresq=discrimination+against+gays&num=10&hl=en&tbo=d&authuser=0&biw=1134&bih=573&tbm=isch&tbnid=ageQVKPJOCJguM:&imgrefurl=http://cutelypoisoned.com/tag/gaymarriage/&docid=z94PZlUJxdNRYM&imgurl=http://cutelypoisoned.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/gay_marriage_opponents1731273.jpg&w=314&h=310&ei=GknHUNzFAsLu2gWX4oHgAg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=176&vpy=76&dur=577&hovh=156&hovw=165&tx=150&ty=104&sig=114598067277195484699&sqi=2&page=1&tbnh=153&tbnw=162&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:86
[2] Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, page 3, http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
[3] Democraticunderground.com, accessed December 3, 2012, http://www.google.com/imgres?q=protesting+against+gay+marriage&num=10&um=1&hl=en&tbo=d&authuser=0&biw=1134&bih=573&tbm=isch&tbnid=PKNcyhG23h6uwM:&imgrefurl=http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php%3Faz%3Dview_all%26address%3D105x815625&docid=XuK5cOzDau5gvM&imgurl=http://www.polychromatic.com/par/fuckers.jpg&w=300&h=273&ei=5FHHUK23Lcav0AGAu4CwAg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=207&vpy=89&dur=345&hovh=214&hovw=235&tx=146&ty=141&sig=114598067277195484699&sqi=2&page=1&tbnh=150&tbnw=154&start=0&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:86
[4] Levit. 20:13 (New International Version)
[5] Levit. 19:19 (New International Version)
[6] Exod. 20:7 (New International Version)
[7] Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, page 3, http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
[8] Rachel Weiner, "Tammy Baldwin wins Wisconsin Senate race", The Washington Post, November 7, 2012, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2012/11/07/tammy-baldwin-declares-victory/
[9] Associated Press, "Maine, Maryland Vote to Legalize Gay Marriage", Time Swampland, November 7, 2012, http://swampland.time.com/2012/11/07/maine-votes-in-favor-of-legalizing-gay-marriage/
[10] Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, "LD 1020 - An Act to End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom", http://mcspolicycenter.umaine.edu/files/pdf/PolicyBriefLD1020.pdf
[11] Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, page 4, http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
Lindsay,
ReplyDeleteI cannot even describe how much I loved this post! I felt that you not only stated your point clearly, but did it in a way that did not insult anyone on such a biased topic and showed a lot of sympathetic feelings. I especially loved how you incorporated your story, that was a great introduction.
I am not well versed in religion or the bible, but from your post I thought that you had good examples that showed how times have changed. In a way, a lot of these rules are constructions made to keep order and "purity" within that time, so I thought it was good that you brought up how morals such as loving each other still applied because it is still relevant while some rules need to be updated more. That, of course, is an opinion of mine and not purely fact, just for the record.
I thought relating the struggle for legalizing gay marriage with King was great. I never really considered before how King, as well as being an equal rights activist, was also a religious man. I knew he was, but when talking about his civil rights activities I kind of forget, so I thought bringing that out, and relating the opposition with your view was great.
Your ending was especially good. I liked how throughout the piece you were sympathetic, maybe even a little bit sad, and at the end you kind of pumped yourself up and had a more hopeful attitude which I thought was really persuasive in that it made me feel like your argument was the right choice.
Overall, a great blog post! Have a great break and have fun relaxing after exams!
Sincerely,
Maddie Kimble
Lindsay,
ReplyDeleteI REALLY enjoyed reading this blog post. It's very difficult to find an article or piece of writing that takes any stance on such a controversial issue without being rude or ignorant but I think you did a good job of taking a stance and making an educated and insightful argument in the name of gay rights. Your post was clear and well organized so I was never confused about what your message was.
I'm glad you took the time to look at the hypocritical side of anti-gay arguments and that you questioned why one part of the bible is stronger than another. It really made me think about the inconsistency of anti-gay arguments and, in my eyes, strengthened yours in the process. In other words, you were successful in your "counter argument/refutation" section.
I know this is supposed to be substantial feedback but I've yet to find something I don't like about your post. That might be bias because i'm pro-gay marriage and therefore biased in favor of your point, or simply because your blog post was close to flawless. Either way, great job!
Sincerely,
Mackenzie