It’s about time. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which had banned same-sex marriages as unconstitutional is now D-E-A-D!
Yesterday, the Supreme Court decided that DOMA was not “defending” anything at all but was prejudicial and unconstitutional, and ruled that same-sex married couples should have the same rights as heterosexual married couples.
The court went a step further by also declaring California’s controversial Proposition 8 as unconstitutional, which voters had used to cease same-sex marriages within the state. With the court’s actions, gays and lesbians in California will be allowed to resume marrying within a matter of weeks.
Same-sex couples from San Francisco’s Castro District to New York City’s Greenwich Village cheered in the streets following the court’s dual decisions. It was the day of equality they had dreamed of, in a country that has now rightfully ceased the bigoted practice of penalizing those who happen to love their same gender.
Despite the fact that the original concept of marriage from hundreds of years ago was designed to protect property and to unify assets between families, Christian and conservative activists were predictable in their response, condemning the court for dismantling the “sanctity” of marriage. The usual lines of “Marriage is between one man and one woman,” “Same-sex marriage is not of God,” and the old “Redefining marriage will ruin marriages,” were expectantly rampant. Of course none of these activists cared to talk about the thousands of heterosexual marriages conducted in a courtroom and not a church, the thousands of heterosexual marriages that are not based on love or involve couples who don’t create children, or how “John” and “Jim” getting married will affect anyone else’s existing marriage.
The beauty of the United States is that we are one big melting pot of black and white, gay and straight, Christian and Muslim, and so on. One belief is not any bigger or better than the other. Morality can not be legislated. One group can not place their individual beliefs on a pedestal then build laws to mandate everyone else to follow them.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court got it right in ruling that marriage is between one man and one woman…or one man and one man….or one woman and one woman. Or in other words, they upheld the national phrase “…with liberty and justice FOR ALL!“
The beauty of the United States is that we are one big melting pot of black and white, gay and straight, Christian and Muslim, and so on. One belief is not any bigger or better than the other. Morality can not be legislated. One group can not place their individual beliefs on a pedestal then build laws to mandate everyone else to follow them. […..]
Hear! Hear! Well said DJ.
It's also a reminder to Me that "elections DO have consequences"…especially Presidentail elections and, as it relelates DOMA, the past 2 elections, in particular.
The 2 Justices, nominated by Pres. Obama, to ascend to the U.S. Supreme Court made the difference.
Just stellar.