A View From the Deck: Equality for ALL

NOTE: The following is OPINION. As such, it is the author's point of view and his alone

This past week, the Supreme Court of the United States
has been in session to hear arguments regarding an issue that is dividing
Americans like no other:

To Repeal the ‘Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).’

To all of those out there who are expressing concern
over the eventual ruling, let me say this. Relax. It’s not going to harm you at
all. Not one bit. Honestly.

First of all, the (not so) Supreme Court does not have the authority to ‘define’
marriage. Marriage is an institution that goes back eons and certainly predates
our country’s history (and the majority of those justices currently sitting on
the Supreme Court). Whatever or however they rule, it does not affect you in any
way, shape, or form.

But what will repealing DOMA do? Something that
should have been done a long time ago. It will allow same-sex couples to
legally marry and be LEGALLY entitled to all the benefits enjoyed by ‘traditional’
male-female couples.

For the (three regular) readers of my posts, I’m
certain that this comes as a shock to you, considering that I am an admitted
Conservative. However, and let’s be honest, the Gay population of this nation
works, pays taxes, purchases goods, runs businesses, tries to make ends meet, and
goes about their lives in pretty much the same way as you and I. My
Conservative ‘Philosophy of Life’ believes that people have the right to love,
honor, and cherish, whomever they choose, so long as they are adults, and to
reap all of the benefits of a legally-recognized union afforded them by the
laws of this great country.

Therefore, aren’t same-sex couples entitled to the
exact same benefits of what some call ‘normal’ couples?

For some, the issue may stem from fear that allowing
this will, somehow, make their marriage less important. Not so. Your marriage
is what you make it. Whether it
succeeds or fails has nothing to do with the Court’s end decision.

Some argue that same-sex couples can’t bear
children. Neither can many male-female couples.That shouldn't be an argument against marriage. Some say children need both parents. I agree, and I'd prefer a same-sex couple that demonstrates true love and nuture toward a child than a single-parent household where the available parent can't, or is unwilling to, provide those needed things. Some will say a child needs adult influence of both sexes. Yup. That's what caring family members and neighbors are for.

Some say that the ‘Gay Lifestyle’ is being forced on
them, and that also appears to be a cause of concern among some. I don’t know
about you, but I don’t have my Gay friends trying to force anything on me (other
than a horrid green bean casserole last July 4^th).

For others, the ugly specter of ‘Homophobia’ rears
its head regarding this issue. Trust me, I’ve heard it all, and I don’t want to
hear it in the comments section.

Growing up, I was taught that homosexuality was a
different lifestyle. Simply that. As I got older, I became more tolerant,
knowing that it’s NOT a ‘disease’, it doesn’t produce swarms of ‘child molesters’,
and same-sex couples are really no different from any of us. The only difference is that they are ‘Same-Sex.’

I don’t really think that any Gay individual is
going to “Burn in Hell” because of their lifestyle, especially if they, like
most of us, try to do as much good on this world during their life as they can.
Besides, that particular scripture is in the Old Testament, and is really
ambiguous in its true meaning.

Some people are born into the wrong bodies. Some are
attracted to the same sex. They’re still PEOPLE, with the same hopes and dreams
of any of us.

In a comments section of a Patch article the other
day I saw a post that pretty much summed up the argument:

“Love is Love.”

Truer words, people. Truer words.

So, for those of you fretting over the (not so)
Supreme Court’s eventual ruling, I’m saying ‘Relax.’ Honestly, it’s not going
to hurt you one way or the other. In fact, it will give validity to the phrase ‘We,
the People,’ by no longer excluding
a viable portion of our population.

Love is, indeed, Love.