Thursday, Jul. 22, 2010

Ranting of a gay Christian

A friend recently turned me on to a Web site called Project Rant.com, which according to its description "republishes or recreates anonymous posts from the 'rants and raves' section on Craigslist." The project uses actors to recreate what simply put - pisses people off. "So what gets your goat? What boils your blood?" -the folks over at Team Rant want to know. Each week, Weekly Surge allows readers to let off some steam in our "Raves & Rage" feature.

This whole bombardment of emotional release has inspired me this week to break from my Southern gentility and let loose on one topic that's been bugging me for quite some time.

For years now the fight for marriage equality has traversed the globe. A recent study by American statistician, Nate Read of FiveThirtyEight.com found that 250 million people are now living in jurisdictions that recognize same-sex marriage. Denmark became the first country to recognize same-sex unions in 1989 in the form of "registered partnerships," but the Netherlands became the first nation to actually grant same-sex marriages in 2001.

Marriage has been around for ages and has changed through time. For many, it has been a way to control bloodlines and was often arranged without any personal feelings between the bride and the groom taken into consideration. For many, marriage has strictly been seen as a foundation for the procreation of the human species and probably the most common definition of marriage involves a love and companionship between two people who promise to share their lives together "in sickness and in health" and "for richer and for poorer." The notion of marriage as a sacrament and not just a contract is often traced back to St. Paul who compared the relationship to that of Christ and his church. It's been used to secure financial status for a family, to ensure protection in time of war or hardship and it's been used to separate classes, races and even religious affiliations.

Before I really get to the core of what's bothering me, I figured I'd check the ol' dictionary. According to Merriam Webster, marriage is "(1) the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2) the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage <same-sex marriage>."

As I breathe a sigh of relief at the knowledge that at least the dictionary has updated its listing to reflect current societal laws, I reflect a little on the words used - united, consensual and contractual. What's missing? Well, according to those against same-sex marriage, phrases such as "under God" and "in the eyes of the church" have been banished from the definition of marriage, which seems to have become property of Christianity if you were to listen to any protesters or legislators as they fight the marriage equality movement.

Here's my rant and I'll try to keep this simple: since when did religion take over law? Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1802 to the Danbury Baptists, explaining the First Amendment of the Constitution, that "I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State." The U.S. Supreme Court has determined that this necessary separation of these two foundations must remain for the benefit of both.

It bothers me when I hear that Hawaii's Republican Governor Linda Lingle vetoed a bill earlier this month that would have allowed same-sex civil unions saying it was not a religious decision, yet she came to her decision after seeking advice from religious leaders. She also pointed out that the decision should be put to a public vote. "It's beyond problematic," said Steven Levinson in a recent interview with the Star Advertiser. "By definition, civil rights can't be defined by the majority." Following the decision, civil union opponents erupted in prayer and sang religious hymns outside the state Capitol.

I am a spiritual person. While I'm not perfect, I attend church services nearly every Sunday and I've even tried to put daily devotional readings into my morning ritual. I understand that marriage is important to many people - religious and non-religious. It is something that should be carefully guarded and protected. Its fundamentals have shaped society for ages. Its evolution can serve as a historical document to show how societies and cultures have developed and changed through the ages. Along with religion, it's at the core of our families and our communities. I don't argue this fact. However, I get fired up when I hear over and over the arguments that use the Bible to fight back against same-sex marriage. You don't hear these same arguments or see these headlines when divorce after divorce grace the covers of magazines and tabloids - but two men or two women, for lack of a better phrase, "God forbid."

Our forefathers may not have seen same-sex marriage coming when they wrote the Constitution or tried to ensure that Americans would have equal rights in order to establish a more perfect union that could reach across the globe as a beacon of liberty. But it seems that they did see a future that would include hardships and struggles - a future where people would continue to fight for their rights and continue to make certain that equality prevailed. They saw that just as a country's government could harm the sanctity of religion, religion could harm the sanctity of a government. So for the last time, hopefully - marriage equality as a legislative or judicial decision has nothing to do with your religion, or lack thereof. It's simply a matter of equality and fairness - the one thing that the organizations of church and state have in common more than many realize.

Argentina recently became the 10th country to legalize same-sex marriage. Argentina President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner criticized the church in a public statement which referred to arguments that the issue was "God's Battle" and "The Work of the Devil" comparing the fight to "the times of the Crusades." "They are portraying this as a religious moral issue and as a threat to 'the natural order,' when what we are really doing is looking at a realty that is already there," the president said from Beijing. "It would be a terrible distortion of democracy if they denied minorities their rights."

So that's my rant. My marriage rights and the marriage rights of anyone else have nothing to do with my or any other person's religion. Don't make me repeat it.

OUT & ABOUT

Sunday, July 25 - Tunnel Ultralounge, 1901 N. Kings Highway, Myrtle Beach, hosts Fierce & Fab, the club's first official stab at a gay night, featuring DJ Keith Nasty and drink specials. Doors open at 10 p.m. For more information, call 213-1567 or visit www.tunnelultralounge.com.

Thursday, July 29 - Myrtle Beach Pride is holding a fundraising dinner on July 29 at Broadway Café. Pre-fixe meals will be served for $9.95 per person, with proceeds benefiting Myrtle Beach Pride. You will also have a chance to lip-synch or sing for your food - each number will receive a "Broadway Buck" to use toward the price of your meal. For more information, call 608-8429 or 712-2837. Broadway Café is at 509 Broadway Street in downtown Myrtle Beach.

Have a thought, comment or Out & About event? Send Chris Rudisill an e-mail to SouthernGayWriter@gmail.com. You can also follow along on Facebook.com @SouthernGayWriter for more news and events.