To the California
Congressmen who voted to block the bill to make gay marriage legal,
Marriage
is considered by many to be a fundamental human right and is a point of
happiness and pride for every culture in the world. Why then, should 5.4% of
Californians be denied this most basic human right? This has been a hotly
debated point of order in the California Senate for some time and the bill to
make homosexual marriage protected by the California Constitution is repeatedly
overturned. In a nation that prides itself in providing freedoms to it
citizens, and especially in a state where many of the California natives love
to revel in how progressive California is, this is a grievance that must not
stand.
Gary gates, cited the 2000 California
census as having shown 5.4% of the population identified as Homosexual,
Lesbian, Transgender, or bisexual. (“Same Sex Couples and the Gay, Lesbian, and
Bisexual Population: New Estimates from the American Community Survey”, 5).
That equates to 2 million Fifty-four Thousand California Citizens. Throughout
history Americans have trampled on the rights of others. In the earlier 20th century African American citizens were
being oppressed. This is our modern segregation. To the youth of today
segregating the African American portion of our society sounds absurd or even outright blasphemous. To the youth of tomorrow those preaching against gay
marriage will be seen as the equivalent those that beat and spat upon the
black students of yesteryear who were the first to attend a white school; in other words, monstrous and lacking empathy. How would you feel if we suddenly as a culture
decided that marriage was defined as union between a man and a goat, and your
marriage was now invalid?
The typical argument against gay marriage is that it
is a union between a man and a woman. This definition was adopted from the biblical
variation of marriage, holy matrimony. From a legal standpoint, as stated by my
father, Michael Germain, Esq., "Marriage is first and formost
a legally binding contract that makes two individuals seen as
one at a federal and state level." What most people are actually arguing
about isn't the legal definition of marriage. It is the idea that homosexual
love can be declared just as valid as love between two straight partners. Also,
if we are choosing the definitions of our constitutional rights from the bible
than we are tarnishing one of the ideas that this nation was built upon:
the separation of church and state. If we feel the need to follow
biblical laws then I have some suggestions for some that have been overlooked.
"Any person who curseth his mother or father, must be killed. (Leviticus, 20:9). "Do not cut your hair
or shave." (Leviticus, 19:27). "If a man cheats on his wife,
or vice versa, both the man and the woman must die." (Leviticus,
20:10). All of these come from the book in the bible, Leviticus, which is the same
book, which suggests that homosexuality is an abomination. If we as a culture
don't find these laws to hold any credibility, then none of Leviticus is credible. You
have no right to say that the bible is God's fundamental truth, and
then pick and choose the verses you actually want to follow. In fact by
scrutinizing the word of God, all who read this must hunt me down and stone me
to death. If I survive you must then burn me (Leviticus,
20:14-16).
Another one of the most stated arguments against gay marriage comes is that homosexuality is unnatural. Addressing the argument that homosexuality is unnatural, Bruce Begemihl, Ph.D. stated that there are more than 3000 species of animals that have homosexual tendencies. (Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity, 3). These include many species of Apes, birds, dolphins, crabs, and even worms. Even our precious "birds and bees" are sometimes gay. There goes that metaphorical analysis of sex between men and women. If all of these other members of the animal kingdom are homosexual then to have none ourselves, we would, as a species, be unnatural. The very definition of unnatural is to not be in accordance with nature. Also, there is only one known species that rigorously persecutes homosexuality and that is man.Therefore, homosexuality is very natural and the opposition of the gay marriage bill is what defies nature herself.
As previously stated, in California
alone, there are 2 million, fifty thousand citizens who identify as homosexual. If gay marriage
became legal and they all married then the cost of their weddings would
generate $25,000,000,000 in revenue. (The average cost of a wedding is $25,000
dollars. $25,000 x 1,000,000 couples = $25,000,000,000) If half of those
marriages failed, that would generate $20,000,000,000 in the cost for divorce.
(Average cost of divorce is $20,000. $20,000 x 1,000,000 million divorcing gays
= $20,000,000,000.) In total that is $45,000,000,000 in revenue. If 8.5% of
that money was taxed that would be $3,825,000,000 for the state. This revenue stream could create hundreds of thousands of jobs dedicated to serving the marrying and divorcing homosexual. From an
economic standpoint, we are insane for not making gay marriage legal. Gay
marriage could be what saves our state from our current economic debacle.
I ask that you rethink your
standpoint on gay marriage. I ask as a man who always pays his taxes on time. I ask as a man who always tries to give what money he has to the outstretched hand on the
sidewalk I ask as a man who loves his family and his country. I ask as a man
who volunteers in his community in order to help his fellows. I ask as a man
who donates blood to help save lives. I ask as a man who gives money to more
underprivileged people in third world countries so they may get the goat that
will provide them with sustenance. I ask as a man that you were elected to represent. I ask I ask as a man with many gay and
lesbian friends throughout his life. Friends, who I have seen surrounded and
beaten for the sexual orientation that is beyond their control. Friends, who
have been raped because, “That @$*%ing lesbian bitch cock-blocked me!” Friends,
who are afraid to hold the hand of another in public for fear of their very lives,
are at risk. Friends, who love another person more than I have seen two people
in love with on another, but can’t declare it publicly because their love is
illegal. In the name of the law, nature, God, the oppressed, and all of my gay friends and family, I ask, nay, beg you, to please reconsider your ideals, and open your
mind to the love of others.
Works Cited
"California
QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau." California QuickFacts from the US
Census Bureau. United Stated Census Bureau, 23 May 2013. Web. Mar.-Apr. 2013.
The Holy Bible:
Old and New Testaments. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003. Print.
Gates, Gary J.,
Ph.D. Same-sex Couples and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Population: New Estimates
from the American Community Survey. Tech. The Williams Institue on Sexual
Orientation Law and Public Policy, UCLA School of Law, Oct. 2006. Web. 31 Mar.
2013.
LeVay, Simon,
Ph.D. "The Science of Sex." Web.Archive.org. N.p., 8 Mar. 2007. Web.
31 May 2013.