When the proposal for Wisconsins version of the "Defense" of Marriage amendment first made the news, my initial reaction was the co-sponsors of the amendment, and the special interest groups that lined up to express approval were all filled with hate.
After all, I reasoned, what was the only emotion that could explain this irrational desire to strip away a basic civil right from homosexual American citizens? Hate HAD to be the only way for them to rationalize it,to explain the bogus threat of "activist judges", or appeals to tradition or the claim marriage is solely for the procreation of children.
After the shock of discovering a majority of Wisconsin voters were more than happy to enshrine Bible-based discrimination in the state constitution wore off, I considered the reasons more thoroughly. Certainly hatred, and its mate, bigotry in some shape and form were behind it, but that couldn't be all there was.
Until I recalled the children that resulted from that unholy union.
The engine driving the enactments of DOMAs across the country is actually powered by the twins fear and ignorance. They go hand in hand everywhere in the hearts of Americans who vote for these legal monstrosities. They and their "parents" are at the base of unequal treatment of women, non-whites, non-Christians and homosexuals since before this country was founded.
The people behind the DOMAs which passed Tuesday in Arizona and California, plus an Arkansas law which forbids adoption by unmarried people (the sponsors admitted targeting gay couples) believe they are honest and forthright people, and in most respects they probably are in their own minds.
Yet there is nothing honest nor forthright about using the language of homophobia to stampede the electorate into voting for the patriach of this "family": intolerance. Imperfect humans as we are, we fail to see how our views of homosexual Americans are shaped (or is that crippled?) by these emotions, leading to the enactment of Very Bad public policy.
Anti-gay forces in America have money, influence and tame legislators on their side and they enjoyed some victories on Tuesday. But they've also lost a lot of political friends in state legislatures and in Congress, plus the White House.
Amendments to ban abortion in South Dakota, and give fertilized eggs full citizenship rights in Colorado were rejected by the voters, so there is hope. Hope these poisonous "Defense" of Marriage amendments can and will be repealed - someday.
Crossposted at: click "opinion" and scroll down to blogs. I'm cobweb1780
Comments are closed on this story.