I'm not gay, and no one close to me is gay. I know one gay couple, and one lesbian couple. I don't know either couple well. When the push for gay marriage began, I literally sat down and had a short conversation with myself. I asked, "How does this impact me?" I answered, "It doesn't." So then it moves beyond me and to my concern for civil rights and human dignity.
A few years ago I attended a get together at a park that followed the Gay Pride parade. I was talking to one of my gay acquaintances. I asked him why marriage was superior to a civil union. He told me that there are over 1,300 laws and rights that involve marriage. I was amazed. But then, until I applied for a marriage license, I had bought into the love and marriage thing, never thinking about marriage as a contract.
I thought about what he said for a long time. My thoughts took me to quickie marriages in Las Vegas. How can a heterosexual couple get totally drunk in Las Vegas, get married, and have 1,300 laws and rights immediately conferred, but a gay couple in a long-term relationship are denied that ability? I couldn't get that thought out of my mind. One afternoon, while flipping through the channels, I hit upon a show about people getting married in Las Vegas. Since these were couples who had been selected to be part of the show, all had gone to Las Vegas specifically to get married there. So, no quickies. All was good. Then, at the end of the show, they showed a chapel that had a drive-up window. These people were so committed to one another that it wasn't even worth their effort to get out of the car to get married! It was so disgusting, tears started streaming down my face.
So, I get it. Now I have another question. Why is it important for President Obama to be in favor of gay marriage? Certainly, if Congress enacted a law enabling gay marriage, he wouldn't veto it. So why is his opinion important? It seems that the Repukes and the media are trying to put him in an awkward position; trying to make him look like a hypocrite. Will it hurt gay people if he doesn't take a firm position? Meaning, will it hurt the progress that is being made state by state? Please help me see this from a different perspective, because it feels like maybe I'm missing something. And I know I can depend on the community to set me straight (pun intended).