My True Feelings: Gay Marriage

I'm a huge fan of Minnesota Public Radio. Yeah, yeah, I know that it's a bit fluffy and CNN-esque, and I know that it has its journalistic issues, but since there are no subscribers to Pacifica radio (that I know of) in Minnesota, I blast MPR while I'm showering, while I'm getting ready, when I'm cleaning, when I'm in the car... I'm a little obsessed. I even contributed to the capital campaign they had last week, which is almost a miracle since I'm a thrifty gal.

Anyway, it was through MPR that I really started thinking about Morals. Of course, it is never so simple as morals themselves; often, the conversations on MPR that set me to a'ponderin' are those concerning the Conservatives, or, more specifically, the "Moral" Right (quotes intended to provide subtle snarkiness). The M.R. is convinced of their spiritual aptitude, which is usually (loosely) based on interpretations of Christianity that are probably pissing God himself right off.

Now, listen. I'm not going to get into some stupid rant about how they've got it all wrong about x, y, and z issues and how ironic it is that they call themselves the moral right even though they're not, yadda yadda. Instead, onwards to what has really got me thinking, most specifically about gay marriage: aren't they simply trying to slow down the inevitable?

When I think about all the progressive human rights issues that have been raised in the past centuries in our country, especially those issues that have "movement" attached to them, how many of those have NOT resulted in the group receiving the rights it has sought? I don't claim to be some huge history buff, but I'm hard pressed to think of movements that have not at the very least caused some sort of positive change in the lives of those affected. Let me be clear, though; the issue that my thinking is focused on is gay marriage, and for two reasons: it gets my blood boiling, and the GOP will be using it to drag out all the homophobes to the polls (was that a bit harsh?? Oops.).

So, despite popular resistance, GLBT folk have enjoyed more openness, acceptance, and quality of life than they have in the past, at least from my perspective. This is good. What I can't help but wonder, though, is if the GOP is trying to stop a wild horse (that'd be gay marriage) with a single twist-tie-- isn't it a bit late? Perhaps they will be successful in getting some Constitutional amendments banning gay marriage in some states, but do they actually think that would stop the momentum? It's possible that, twenty to thirty years from now, issues such as healthcare, the minimum wage, and retirement might be deemed slightly more important than limiting people's personal freedoms, and the Moral Right will look back and wonder why they wasted so much energy on an issue that would so quickly become moot anyway.

I remember during "Decision: 2004" when I was living in Grand Forks. One of the conservative senate candidates had an ad against gay marriage. It showed scenes of happy brides and grooms with a voiceover describing the sanctity of marriage. Then, the voice became lower and deeper, stating, "...but SOME people think that a marriage could be between people of the same sex...", and we see a picture of two smiling grooms (the horror!); the voice then goes on to say, "If this happens... who knows WHERE it would end!" and the last scene shows a picture of a goth bride, groom, and GOAT.

Needless to say, I was positively gobsmacked. More importantly, though, this example illustrates the ridiculousness of the Moral Right's argument. The reliance on logical fallacies such as the slippery slope and appeal to tradition does not an effective argument make, or, more to the point, the Moral Right is simply too late. The seed has been planted, and it might not happen today, it might not happen tomorrow, but some day, gay marriage will be no biggie, and instead of posting on my blog about it, I'll head out to the DQ and partake in a pumpkin pie blizzard. That'll be a great day: human rights AND ice cream.

(P.S. That's for you, Joel. Thanks.)