So Ted Olson’s (surprising, yes) legal crusade for gay marriage is way old news, but while at the gym yesterday I came across an article he wrote that was published in January 18th issue of Newsweek. His definition of marriage leapt off the page and throttled my eyeballs:
“Marriage is one of the basic building blocks of our neighborhoods and our nation. At its best, it is a stable bond between two individuals who work to create a loving household and a social and economic partnership. We encourage couples to marry because the commitments they make to one another provide benefits not only to themselves but also to their families and communities. Marriage requires thinking beyond one’s own needs. It transforms two individuals into a union based on shared aspirations, and in doing so establishes a formal investment in the well-being of society.”
Ah, so that’s what the beau and I are getting married for. And here I thought we were just doing it for the KitchenAid stand mixer.
Lame jokes aside… There were a few bits in this article that made me want to stand up and holler.
“At the end of the Civil War, to make the elusive promise of equality a reality, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution added the command that “no State … shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person … the equal protection of the laws.
Subsequent laws and court decisions have made clear that equality under the law extends to persons of all races, religions, and places of origin. What better way to make this national aspiration complete than to apply the same protection to men and women who differ from others only on the basis of their sexual orientation? I cannot think of a single reason – and have not heard one since I undertook this venture – for continued discrimination against decent, hardworking members of our society on that basis.”
And:
“ … while our Constitution guarantees the freedom to exercise our individual religious convictions, it equally prohibits us from forcing our beliefs on others. I do not believe that our society can ever live up to the promise of equality, ad the fundamental rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, until we stop invidious discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.”
Hell. Fuckin’. Yeah. Let’s DO this thing.
