My thoughts on Gay Marriage

Tonight’s post is inspired by the fact that my home state, Illinois, has passed a law through the House of Representatives allowing gay marriage.

So, I know that my blog is primarily to voice my Republican views and political thoughts.  I vote Republican and support conservative candidates for political office because my views mostly align with conservative ideals.  However, there’s one issue that’s a very hot topic right now that I do not agree with many Republicans on: gay marriage.  I fully, 100% support giving homosexuals the right to marry.  Why, you may ask?  Well, I have several points I would like to make.

Homosexuality is NOT a Choice
I’m going to start with this point.  I do not believe that homosexuality is a choice.  How could it be?  Everyday, you hear of people committing suicide, trying to go to therapy to become straight, etc. all because they do not want to live their life as a homosexual in a society that’s so judgmental against it.  You really think that these people chose homosexuality?  If they chose it, why would they commit suicide because they’re so miserable?  You also hear of people being rejected by their families, friends, co-workers, etc. simply because they’re gay.  Once again, you think someone would choose to have their whole family hate them?  I highly doubt that.  NOBODY would choose to be gay in today’s society.  We bash gays, make jokes about them, alienate them, make laws that prevent them from having the same freedoms as straight people – and people still think that homosexuality is a choice? It’s not a choice, people.  Get that through your thick skull.  So, if being gay is not a choice, than denying rights to homosexuals is basically the same thing as denying people rights based on race.  If someone said “I don’t approve of blacks getting married,” they’d get bashed like crazy.  Race isn’t a choice.  Nobody chooses to be born a certain race, so why can’t they have the same rights as people of other races?  Exactly my point.  Nobody chooses to be gay, so why can’t they have the same rights as straight people?

Separation of Church and State
Here is one of my biggest issues with the gay marriage debate.  Rarely, if ever, can someone provide a reason to deny gays the right to marry that doesn’t involve religion.  Guess what, Christians?  Nobody cares what your religion says when it comes to the laws of the United States.  This country was founded on freedom of religion.  People came to America to avoid being forced to worship a certain religion that they did not agree with.  Our country does not base our laws on any certain religion, and rightfully so.  The United States is a place of diversity, and that includes different religions.  Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Atheists, etc. ALL live in the United States and are required to follow our country’s laws.  Why should someone who isn’t Christian have to follow a law that’s based on Christianity?  They shouldn’t have to.  One of my good friends is Hindu.  Should she be forced to follow laws that are based on a religion she doesn’t identify with?  Of course not.  Christians, would you want to be forced to follow laws based on a different religion?  Probably not.  Basically, my point is, you cannot say “Gay marriage should be illegal because the bible does not approve of it.”  Well, too bad, because when it comes to the laws of our country, your religion is irrelevant.  America does not base its laws on any religious beliefs or practices.  You cannot make laws for an entire country based on any one religion when many of that country’s citizens do not follow that religion.  That’s the beautiful thing about America: it’s the land of the free.  We all have the freedom to believe what we want, and we all have the freedom to worship any religion we choose without being forced to follow any laws based on any religion we may not agree with.

Another thing when it comes to religion and marriage: If gay marriage is legal, churches can still recognize marriage in any way they see fit.  Churches are private institutions and are not controlled by the government.  They can refuse to perform and recognize gay marriages if they choose to do so.  Gay marriage being legalized simply means that homosexuals have the same government rights (tax breaks, divorce and custody rights, etc.) when it comes to marriage that straight couples do.

I also have absolutely no respect for people who fall back on the religion argument unless they personally follow every single thing that the bible says.  Oh, you’re not a virgin and you’re not married?  Well, your opinion is invalid to me.  You cannot pick and choose what to follow in the bible.  You can’t say that one thing is true and another doesn’t matter because it fits your personal preferences.  I also like how some Christians forget about Matthew 7:1 – “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”  As a Christian, aren’t you supposed to be loving towards one another and not judge others?

It simply does not affect you
Guess what, people? A gay couple is getting married right now and you’re still doing exactly what you would be doing if they weren’t getting married.  It doesn’t affect you at all.  You don’t approve of gay marriage?  Cool, then don’t get one.  But don’t prevent other people from having the same rights you are blessed with simply because you find it “disgusting” or “gross”. By the way, nothing makes me laugh more than when people use these terms to describe gay marriage.  You can’t think of an argument so you’re resorting to name calling?  Anyway, it really does not affect you in any way, shape, or form if a gay couple chooses to get married and quite frankly, it’s not your business to try to intervene.

The Argument that Gay Couples Raising Children is Harmful for the Children
I just laugh when I hear this argument because I know you’d have to be uneducated and ignorant about the topic in order to make it.  I’m a psychology major, and in my Developmental Psychology class we learned that not only are children raised by gay couples completely normal, they often times even grow up being more open-minded to those who are different.   As long as both parents are loving, caring, and attentive towards their children, children of gay couples will grow up completely normal and happy.  You know what screws children up?  Having divorced parents who constantly fight and argue.  Or having a parent who just up and leaves and completely rejects their child.  The last thing that would mess up a child or harm them in any way is having two loving parents who care for them.

“Gay Marriage Ruins the Sanctity of Marriage”
If you’re going to make this argument, then you should probably make divorce and those quickie vegas weddings illegal.  The sanctity of marriage has long been ruined by people getting drunk in Las Vegas and getting married within five hours of meeting each other and annulling the marriage the next morning.  It’s been ruined by couples getting married and getting divorced the first time they get in a big argument instead of trying to work through their issues.  Marriage is about two people who love each other expressing their love in what’s supposed to be a permanent way.  If two men or two women love each other and want to express that love, more power to them.

I could go on and on about how I feel about this topic, but I think I’ll end after making the main points I wanted to make.   I do not mean to bash Christianity or say all Christians are the same, as I know that they aren’t.  Like I said, if you don’t approve of gay marriage, I respect your opinion.  I’m not making this blog post to bash people for their opinions.  What I don’t respect is when people want to either a) make their personal preferences the law of our country or b) make their religion the law of our country.  America is a free country, and we should ALL have the freedom to marry the person we love, regardless of gender.  I hope that this post maybe opened the minds of some people who have been against gay marriage or at least educated them on some issues they weren’t aware of.

If you’re going to make a hateful comment, please don’t bother commenting.  I will not reply to any comments that are trying to bash me, name-call, etc.