Yesterday I lost all respect for North Carolina.
To be more specific though (because blanketing generalities are always a slippery slope), I've lost respect for those who supported the Amendment One that defines marriage as a union between a man and woman. Not only does it discriminate against certain sectors of the public, it devalues the force that motivates people to come together and to get married in the first place: the love of another person. Some of the arguments put forth by the opposition have been regarding the "sanctity of marriage" or the "natural way of living", ideas wrought with religious undertones.
Firstly, the sanctity of marriage can, and has, been destroyed by straight couples before and probably will continue to be ravaged until the end of time unless we come up with a better system of keeping tabs on spouses. On top of that, there are individuals throughout history who have felt an obligation to marry the opposite sex because of societal values, and have left their heterosexual partner in shambles because they finally had the courage to accept their sexual identity. Wouldn't it be advantageous for the majority if everyone could be open about sexuality, so that such relationship misunderstandings could be avoided? Besides, wouldn't the sanctity of marriage refer to the fidelity of one individual to another? If a person is not even being honest with himself, the probability that he would be true in a relationship is slim to none because he would never fully be honest with his partner.
Secondly, the nature of things is to evolve. We no longer use our flight or fight response to flee from rabid wildlife (once again, there are always exceptions), but instead are plagued by adrenaline when public speaking. ANIMALS are homosexual: mammals, sea creatures and insects have all displayed homosexual behavior. Why then are we using the argument that nature did not intend for same-sex marriage? Aerodynamics did not intend for bumble bees to fly, yet nature has allowed them to.
To be honest, I respect the public's right to practice a religion and to posses religious values or views, but cannot respect someone's decision to force those upon others, especially when God is used to justify a law. One of my absolute favorite people is a devout Catholic, but also has a different gender identity and is a lesbian. Her response was "If you think that it's impossible to be gay and a Catholic, then you obviously are not a Catholic". An opinion that I think screams "Northerner", and calls for respect in times of debate. Love is a human right, in whatever form it manifests itself.
Anyway, I'm glad to hear that Obama thinks there are bigger problems in North Carolina than people falling in love.
Love more everyday, in every way,
arctic hipster
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