On Tuesday, California, Florida and Arizona voted for proposals banning gay marriage. In Arkansas, voters decided to ban unmarried couples from being allowed to adopt children. These results are a shocking affront to both natural and constitutional human rights as well as a bigoted marginalization of a significant portion of the country’s population.
Voting to ban same-sex marriage is a blatant and appallingly accepted form of bigotry in the United States. Some argue that civil unions could give same-sex couples the same rights as marriage. This is eerily similar to the logic behind Plessy v. Ferguson, which spawned the racist mantra “separate but equal.” In this case, the Supreme Court decided that racial segregation was acceptable. Surprisingly, exit polls showed that 70 percent of black voters in California voted to ban gay marriage. Today, instead of racial segregation, we face sexual segregation. Civil unions are not enough. It is simply unacceptable to deny people the right to marry based on other people’s personal beliefs.
The results of the Arkansas vote are equally despicable. Not allowing unwed couples to adopt children is ignorant and baseless. Because they are not allowed to marry, same-sex couples are automatically ineligible to adopt. An adoption ban also perpetuates insidious, sexist ideas on gender roles. Most commonly, one hears that if a child is raised by two fathers (or mothers), it will lack the maternal (or paternal) care needed for proper rearing. This view is not only factually incorrect, but also demeaning to all men and women, forcing them into archaic and ill-conceived gender roles.
Regardless of whether or not you believe that sexuality is a choice (did you choose to be straight?) or your personal religious beliefs conflict with the idea of gay marriage, it is unacceptable to use your own views to deny others their rights to equality and social assimilation. While our country has made a great stride in electing President-elect Barack Obama, much more must be done before all the people of the U.S. are allowed to live with equality.
Michael Ackerson
2008 MSU graduate
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