Same sex marriage is now legal in more than half of the country. 30 states have had bans overturned by federal or supreme courts and two more, Texas and Arkansas, have cases pending. Even more have pending legislation or referendums to recognize such unions.
The Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 saw the Pentagon officially recognize LGBT couples in the military. In 2013 the Supreme Court overturned the Defense Of Marriage Act, which had been passed during the Clinton administration.
So what does that all mean? Well, it means that if you’re still fighting to suppress the rights of the LGBT community, you’re on the wrong side of history. Period. You’ve lost and need to learn how to move on and actually follow the religion of love you’re preaching. You’re religion tells you to be a good person, so stop trying to ruin the lives of others by denying them happiness that affects you in no way whatsoever.
Don’t worry, gays getting married won’t produce more babies out of wedlock. That’s your abstinence-only sex-ed plan’s job. Also, you know how babies are made right? It sure isn’t something that comes from two guys or two women…
“What about us, Cory? We’ve fought the good fight and it’s only a matter of time right?” Well, no hypothetical person, this is far from over. Right now, the biggest obstacle we face is complacency. We can’t just light up a cigar and celebrate, because the second we do, that’s when the opposition is going to sneak through new legislation. Sure, it will be illegal and unconstitutional just like the dozens that the Supreme Court has already overturned, but it will be enforced until it’s struck down again.
The fight doesn’t just end. That’s not the way it works here in the real world. African-Americans have had the vote for 150 years, yet a federal judge just struck down another law in Texas that sought to suppress the communities’ ability to use their voices. Unfortunately, it was too late and the unconstitutional voter ID law will actually be enforced in this incredibly important election.
“That sucks. It’s not fair. How can they do that?” Well, you’re right. It does suck, but that’s just a small taste of the world we live in.
It’s been 95 years since women successfully fought for suffrage, yet they still only make 2/3 of what men do. Not only that, but the National Commission on Violence Against Women found that sexual assault reports are at an all-time high.
So here’s the situation we face; Women and African-Americans didn’t stop fighting for equality all those years ago and we can’t afford to stop fighting for LGBT equality either.
The right to marry does not make the LGBT community equal. Hate crimes are still prevalent and discrimination runs rampant. Take a breather, pat each other on the back and double down because the toughest fights are yet to come.
Scientific evidence and facts be damned. You can’t change the mind of your average ideologist with cold, hard evidence. The fight for equality is never against a group that deals in such silly things.
