During the recent election in the United States, several states had marriage equality for same-sex couples on the ballot (it was passed in Maine, Maryland, and Washington State).
Here's what an editorial comment, originally published in The Ottawa Citizen, and subsequently appearing in The Vancouver Sun, had to say on the subject:
...If [marriage equality] is a right, then it's a right, and not subject to approval or removal by popular vote. That's why constitutions protect basic freedoms and equal treatment under the law. It's a protection against the tyranny of the majority [p. C3].
Amen to that.
In Canada, marriage equality has been in place nationally since the mid-2000s. Before that, several provinces had approved marriage equality without taking it to a vote (including BC, the province I live in), but the federal Liberal government at the time had the foresight to make it a right across the country. The world didn't come to an end as a result.
Which is precisely what the federal government in the U.S. must do. Individual states must not have the power to grant or withhold marriage equality for same-sex couples by popular vote, based on voters's personal or religious beliefs. It is not their place to do that.
If it's a human right to get married, and gay people are human beings (last time I checked, they are), then marriage is a human right, regardless of sexual orientation, and not subject to the whim of those who don't approve at the ballot box for whatever reason.
I am a gay i need a partner to spend my life with,
ReplyDeletecypranmark@gmail.com
Anonymous, thank you for your interest in my blog.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed you left the exact same message five times on different posts (some duplicated). I can't promise to find you a partner to spend your life with, but, if you have a specific question about how I think you might do that, please let me know. At any rate, I'd like to know a little more about you, so please don't be afraid to leave a more detailed message.
In the meantime, I've written in many posts on my blog that, before we can find partners to spend our lives with, we need to be our own best boyfriends first. When you are someone you like to hang out with, someone you find interesting, and someone you love and believe deserves to have good things happen to him (like find a life partner), then you are well on your way to getting one.
I heartily recommend that, if you're serious about finding a life partner, you spend a little more time reading posts on my blog to see what you can do to make yourself the best you you can be. In particular, focus on the posts about improving self-esteem and learning how to accept and love yourself. Remember, if you don't love yourself, why should anyone else?
I appreciate your comment and hope to hear from you again.