Out of Bag:
Same Sex Marriage: Is America Ready?

By Mery Diaz

“If the world accepts homosexuality…the whole world is then going to be sitting like the Sodom and Gomorrah before a holy God. And when the wrath of God comes to this earth, we will all be guilty and we will all suffer from it”. This is just one of the many sentiments expressed by Americans who oppose homosexuality. Millions of others throughout the country feel the same way, if not a deeper hatred, towards gays and lesbians. ‘Christian’ white supremist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and Skin Heads have made a point to target the gay population. It is unclear whether forcing a legislation that allows same-sex marriage will bring about acceptance or rather more violent acts against the gay community. On Sunday June 24th, however, we saw something of a different story. Religious groups that included Christians, Jews, as well as Buddhists were at the forefront leading the world-renowned New York City gay pride parade.

 
Just a few days before the parade the New York State Assembly along with the support of Governor Spitzer passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriages, showing that the gay movement is increasingly gaining acceptance. But does it still have a long way to go before it reaches the support attained by the Civil Rights activists? The bill will still have to go through the Republican controlled state senate. It is clear that perceptions of homosexuality in this country remain distorted, and deeply rooted in fundamentalist Judeo-Christian values, although not all religious followings are entirely against homosexuality. Studies continue to show violent acts against the gay community. This reinforces the need for further focus on education and acceptance among Americans before any real political advancement can be made.

Until the gay community is seen as something other than deviant, legislation can do little for its acceptance in society. Our obsession with labels, categorizations, and proper moral conduct will not let us progress into a country where all individuals can bask in the pleasure of possessing the civil rights mandated by the constitution. And until we can get past this identity complex and understand that all individuals have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness we will not be able to appropriate an environment where the gay community could reap the seeds of the marriages they’d sow.

None of the 2008 leading presidential candidates have yet to publicly support same-sex marriage. Perhaps bringing focus to the economic implications could help, since it really may come down to dollars and cents. According to the New York City comptroller, William Thompson’s report, Love Counts, “Legalizing same-sex marriage in New York State could mean as much as $142 million in economic benefits to New York City, much of which would be generated by the spending of residents, visitors and their out-of-town guests on weddings. Moreover, same-sex marriage legislation could generate almost another $40 million to New York State at large”. Sounds good to me!