I think Mr. Evans is correct. Yes, he is an actor and some actors know what they are talking about. I am an actor, but not nearly as good as Mr. Evans. But I digress.The point is, I am already ashamed that my fellow Americans do not have the same right as me. And I have my conservative friends on Facebook say things like "You're not gay. Why do you care?"
Well, let's see, I care because I have hundreds of gay friends who cannot legally love the person they want to spend the rest of their lives with. And they are denied the rights that go along with being legally married. If you find the idea of homosexuality disagreeable or gross, then fine. That is your opinion. Don't marry a gay person. I find the idea of eating black licorice gross, but I am not trying to make it illegal to buy. I'm not supporting legislation to make Jagermeister unlawful because I personally don't appreciate the way it meshes with my palate. People have told me comparisons like that aren't that easy. But yes, they ARE that easy!
YOUR personal views, whether they be religious or otherwise are just that. YOUR views. Argue up the "God's view" and Bible scripture quotes all you want. Those are still your PERSONAL, religious views and not the opinion or belief of every American. I know we are a "majority rules" kind of democracy, but our founding fathers specifically kept religion out of the lawmaking process for a reason. (And majority rules only applies until the constitution starts to get trampled!) The founding fathers were smart enough to know that religion and spirituality is personal and is up to every individual to decide. Religion played little role in drafting our constitution and it should play zero role in giving gay Americans their legal right. If there were a law forcing every American to abide by the principles of the Methodist church, do you not think there would be severe public backlash and outcry?
And YES! I just said LEGAL right. You see, the government recognizes a marriage, so it is not really religious anyway unless you choose to marry in a church or other place of worship. And you know what? You can CHOOSE to do that if you like. It's not a legal requirement to marry in a religious house. You have to go to the local county office, apply for, and pay for a marriage certificate. It is not recognized by religion in the legal sense. It is recognized by the government. And if we're using religious criteria to disallow gays to marry, then counties shouldn't allow Catholics to marry Jews. And in some cases (because yes, some churches still believe it) that Caucasians shouldn't marry African Americans and so on... But why isn't this the case? Because religious beliefs do not dictate our LEGAL rights. And they never should.
Then, we get into people like Mike Huckabee (why is he my favorite idiot to pick on?) who says that if you allow gays to marry, then people will want to marry animals. Well, to quote the clever comic Kathleen Madigan, "Well, maybe where YOU'RE from, Mr. Huckabee." I will admit that it took me watching the show Sister Wives to get me to somewhat comprehend polygamous marriage, but that is what the people in that relationship WANT. That is their path to happiness and why should I get in their way? I might not agree with that and it might not be my cup of tea, but it's not my business what goes on behind closed doors. I am not going to invite Mike Huckabee inside my bedroom, so he has no business being in mine or yours.
Most conservatives and tea partiers (granted, I said most, not all) like to throw around words like "freedom" and "liberty" while simultaneously attacking the freedom and liberty of their neighbors, teachers, government workers, firefighters, police officers, military officers etc... The only difference between them is one is a homosexual and one is not.
But think of it this way if no other. With gays marrying, it will bring more money into the government and our economy. More marriages equals more marriage licenses and more money to the county. More money for weddings will be spent in the local economy. And I'm sorry, but most of my gay friends don't want to do things on a small scale. So, businesses like florists, chapels, bakeries, venues, hotels, boutiques and dress shops will ALL benefit from the influx of business.
And seriously, a gay wedding will be much more fabulous in the long run. I, for one, cannot wait to get my first invitation to see it happen legally!
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