In light of the recent North Carolina referendum that outlawed same
sex marriage and civil unions through a constitutional amendment, I think it is
time that I weigh in on the very sensitive issue of same sex marriage. Let me
start out by saying that I am a Christian. The kind that goes to church every Sunday,
reads my bible many times a week, and attends a regular bible study. Let me
follow that up by saying that I have had many gay friends who I was and am
still quite fond of. From a libertarian viewpoint, I think the issue of gay marriage
is mishandled at nearly every turn by both sides. With so much wrong with the discussion
around this issue, I struggle to format a flowing coherent argument but I’ll
give it my best shot….
First off, let’s set one thing straight. Anyone can get
married. Marriage is a promise between you, your loved one, and your god. I am
frustrated with couples who say they would like to get married but cannot or
will not until the US government recognizes gay marriage. It’s not about the government. It’s about the vows that two
individuals make to one another in affirming a life together. That said, in our current system there are
certain benefits granted to couples whose marriage is recognized by the state
and federal government that gives incentive to include gay marriage into our
legal system. This is a legitimate and important concern however, this leads to
my next issue.
Where are the gay marriage advocates when it comes to
polygamy or even siblings getting married? After all, they are an even smaller minority than
gay couples and are consenting adults who could use every argument that gay
marriage advocates use in arguing for its legalization. Let me clarify that
this is not an argument against gay marriage. I believe consenting adults
should be able to do as they please but I find it disheartening how many people
are jumping so adamantly onto the “legalize gay marriage” band wagon and
blowing themselves for ‘fighting for the minority’ while failing to lift a
finger to fight for even smaller, less represented minorities.
If I had my way, governments would have no place in marriage.
No licenses would be issued to married couples and individuals could marry as
they saw fit and recognize the marriage of others as they saw fit. But alas,
such individual liberties are not even possible within our current system… SO
here is how I feel about government sanctioned marriage in our current system.
We should replace it with civil unions. Whether gay, straight, or other,
couples (or groups) who chose to pursue a life together could be issued civil
unions by the government and marriage would be a purely private endeavor. This
would allow the so called “rights and benefits” that current married couples
enjoy to extend to unconventional couples (or groups) who choose to spend their
life together. No one would be forced to feel like they are condoning something
violates their conscience and on the flip side, unconventional couples would
not receive different government treatment than traditional ones. Sadly, I hear very few individuals striving
to find a solution that would provide fairness for all without trying to force either
the pro or anti gay marriage viewpoint on everyone.
