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Some prejudices still have a strong hold on America

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 19, 2008

While I'm no fan of Barack Obama, it's hard to not be proud of the fact that Americans have shed enough of their prejudices to elect a black man president. As a nation we're not that far removed from segregated classrooms, separate drinking fountains and other racist policies, but we have progressed mightily very quickly.

Still, however, just because we have moved forward, does not mean that all the work has been done. Prejudice remains and on election night it struck a most ugly blow. Amidst Obama's barrier breaking victory, gay Americans were delivered yet another setback as Arizona, California and Florida passed amendments to their state constitutions banning gay marriage.

It's certainly difficult to compare types of oppression, but it's hard to argue that denying basic human rights to people because of the gender of their companion counts as pretty horrible oppression. Gay people simply want the legal rights associated with marriage and the right to declare their relationships as valid in the eyes of the state as any other couple's.

Those who oppose gay marriage generally do so on religious grounds, forgetting that religious marriage and civil marriage are entirely different entities. You may find gay marriage distasteful because of your religion, but that does not give you the right to impose those views upon people who feel differently.

If we allow religious views to shape our laws and dictate our prejudices, then we are no better than extreme Muslim nations who make their religious laws the ones that govern their country. My particular religion (of which I'm not practicing) bans combining milk and meat in the same meal, yet I've never seen Joe Lieberman or any other prominent Jewish lawmaker propose a national ban on cheeseburgers.

We make a huge mistake as a country when we attempt to force our personal definition of morality on other people. If your religion considers gay marriage a sin, than you should probably not marry someone from your own gender, but you should not try to force your opinion on anyone else.

Of course, it's the word opinion that becomes a problem when religion gets involved. The religious folks who want to ban gay marriage and dictate other social rules don't consider their ideas opinions, they consider them the word of god. It's generally pretty hard to reason with anyone who considers his side of the argument as being supported by the almighty.

There's a huge difference, however, between believing something is wrong, but recognizing that it's none of your business and trying to make everyone legally have to agree with you. I believe it's wrong to put mayonnaise on a pastrami sandwich, but you don't see me getting my state's constitution changed to impose that view.

Gay marriage should be legal because all people deserve the same rights and the right to choose your own companion seems pretty basic to me. If god has an issue with that, than I imagine a lot of gay couples will have some explaining to do down the line.

I prefer not to believe in a god that would cast aside people based on something as trivial as which gender makes them happy. My god loves all people and judges them based on how they treat their fellow man. As Americans, we've done a lot to make that religious icon happy in these past few weeks, now, we just have to remember not to trade one prejudice for another.

Daniel B. Kline's work appears in over 100 papers weekly. When he is not writing Kline serves as general manager of Time Machine Hobby New England's largest hobby and toy store, timemachinehobby.com. He can be reached at dan@notastep.com or you can see hi

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