About LGBT 2k15

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On February 9, 2015, federal law permitted Alabama to become the 37^th state to allow same-sex marriage, although some Republican officials are still blatantly advocating against it. Journalist Steve Benen reported, “Many same-sex couples have spent the morning getting legally married in the Heart of Dixie.” Roy Moore, conservative Alabama chief justice, tried to proclaim judges could not issue same-sex marriage licenses. Moore has been known to have written many probates on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage. “Moore has argued repeatedly in recent weeks that Alabama courts can feel free to ignore federal court rulings on marriage,” wrote Benen. At the same time, Alabama governor Robert Bentley (R) has honored ending the same-sex marriage ban and has taken no action to prevent the marriages from proceeding; upsetting some Alabaman citizens. Although Bentley is a staunch, conservative Republican who is against same-sex marriage, he stands by the supreme law of the land and believes states can’t simply ignore laws they don’t concur with. 

This article, published in 2015, is still depicting a battle between the government and United States citizens for basic civil rights. We are still trying to live up to the United States Constitution preamble “We the people”; not “We, some of the people”. Our founding fathers promised to ensure a life of justice, domestic tranquility, and the promotion of the general welfare. It’s the twenty-first century, some Americans are being denied their fundamental rights, and there are still people saying, “But…” Gay/lesbian/transgender/bisexual Americans are being oppressed and discriminated against for the people they choose to love, which does not directly affect any other human. 

Another issue to be addressed with this article is the deliberate neglect Alabama politicians are placing on the federal ruling to allow same-sex marriages. “I’m not worried about following the U.S. Constitution,” says Alabama county judge Nick Williams regarding his homosexual marriage views. Federalism, the distributed power between central government and states, has been a significant principle in our constitutional democracy, as has majority rule. One legally cannot state they disagree with federal law and magically be exempt from abiding by said law. The United States operates on a set of principles to establish peace and equality. The Alabama officials who are adamantly against same-sex marriage are beating on a wall trying to change it to a door.

The article “Alabama judge: ignore federal courts on marriage” by Steve Benen is important to know because every single United States citizen deserves the same respect and to be valued. We don’t authorize a law enforcing children to mandatory vaccinations, which increase the risk for fatalities otherwise, yet we authorize legal sanctions against the personal preference of who one can enjoy the rest of their life with. Also, this is a prime example to pay attention to your officials and be aware of what’s happening in the news. If one relies solely on their community leaders, they are more liable to be misled or fed biased information. Benen describes Governor Bentley’s inaction from stopping same-sex marriages like so: “On Sunday, in his own First Baptist Church of Tuscaloosa, Bentley heard his pastor to call on him to ‘do the right thing’ and take some kind of action to stop same-sex marriage… The appeal did not change Bentley’s mind. He was not going to stand in the courthouse door and defy the law.” The United States Constitution was published to set guidelines as to how our government works. Personal opinions cannot overrule federal laws. Go about it the proper way and write Congress a proposal as to why same-sex marriage should be illegal.

I think this current event is sad. Most conservatives don’t want to allow same-sex marriage because it violates the sacred Christian biblical value that marriage is between man and a woman, though 40% of Americans are not Christian. We established this nation to escape religious persecution and here Congress is trying to enforce their religious beliefs on the whole country. If you don’t want a gay marriage, don’t get married. It’s that simple. What a couple does in the privacy of their home has no effect on anyone else on the planet. We don’t like being told how we can or cannot run our lives; why would we try to prevent our fellow Americans from being happy and being with the one they love all because someone wrote it in a book over two thousand years ago? They also thought the earth was flat. Were they right about that too? Most importantly, inequality is a direct threat to the foundation of our democracy.  

References

Benen, S. (2015, February 9). Alabama judge: Ignore federal courts on marriage. Retrieved February 11, 2015, from http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/alabama-judge-ignore-federal-courts-marriage