Three Recent Observations on the California Marriage Issue

“Never before has the purpose of a license been to boost someone’s feelings or make them feel equal to someone else.”

Not quite. This isn’t to make anyone FEEL equal, it’s about ensuring actual equality. Feeling has nothing to do with it. It’s about applying the LAW equally.

“In the case of marriage licensing in California, four judges overrode the vote of the public, even though it is the public who issues licenses. We were not asked for our approval, though we should have been.”

Not quite. How did you do in 9th grade civics? No matter how popular a law might be, it still has to pass Constitutional muster, and that’s what Supreme Court justices are for. They didn’t “legislate from the bench as so many assert, they DID THEIR DUTY! Did the Supreme Court legislate from the bench when they decided Washington DC’s handgun law ran afoul of the Second Amendment?

“Now, with an amendment on the November ballot that reasserts our position, some same-sex couples are asking “How can you do that to us?” The answer is – we issue marriage licenses, and to get one you are supposed to ask us.”

Excuse me? Gay people are part of “us,” too.

“One of the appeals to emotion made by same-sex couples who are pushing for the neutered marriage licensing is “How can you do that to our kids – invalidate our marriage?””

Denying marriage equality will not keep gay couples from having or raising children. It won’t stop straight couples from divorcing and leaving kids in single-parent homes. It WILL help to create a more stable environment for the kids who are being raised by same-sex couples.

“But neither should we reorder all of society, drop references to “bride and groom”, “husband and wife” and “mother and father” to portray homosexual behavior as mainstream and equivalent to heterosexuality.”

Cute, but simply not going to happen. The vast majority of marriages will still be bride and groom, then husband and wife. Most kids will be raised by mother and father. Homosexuality is never going to be mainstream, just like left-handedness is never going to be mainstream – it affects too small a portion of the population.

Part of what’s great about America is that we have the goal of treating all our citizens equally under the law. California has taken an important step in keeping that American dream moving forward.

mistereks, thanks for stopping by and commenting.

State-issued licenses are not rights. They are issues by the people of a state for a specific purpose to persons who meet the criteria.

That is why the California Supreme Court did not have the authority to mandate that those licenses be changed.

And yes, "bride" and "groom" ARE being dropped from the licenses as a result, and this WILL add to the legislative impositions that are removing references in public schools to "bride and groom", "mother and father", and "husband and wife".

Yes, gay people are part of society, and some gay people see this neutering of marriage as harmful to society, and as such, harmful to them. See the last link in my introductory piece.