The Truth About Liberalism: #6 Gay Rights

I know it's been a while, but I'm back to fight the lies about what most liberals believe, in #6 we'll be examining the expansive issue of gay rights, while focusing on one major area.

Homosexuals have been around for quite some time, seeing as they are alluded to in the old testament of the Bible. Probably since they've existed, they've been persecuted by the mainly heterosexual population, with small breaks here and there in places that were and are extremely tolerant. It's a fact that society becomes gradually more liberal/progressive/tolerant as time goes by, with some lapses. The substantial part of my audience that is conservative doesn't need to panic now, because this change is very gradual. The founding fathers were debating the morality of slavery almost 100 years before it was abolished by Lincoln, and women (part of society since the origin of humanity) just got the right to vote a little more than 100 years ago (I don't know the exact date, but it was in New Zealand), but still can't vote in some countries.

This new wave of tolerance that is slow to be embraced is the idea of allowing gay couples to marry and having the government recognize the union (an unthinkable idea not very long ago). Believing as I and most liberals do that all people are equal, have a right to the pursuit of happiness, and that what they do on their own time is their own business (this idea was reinforced by a Supreme Court ruling that struck down sodomy laws a while back), I see no reason that two people of the same sex can't commit to each other and have it recognized by society if that's what they want. The fact that many lawmakers see the need to amend the Constitution of the United States to discriminate against a group of people is very troubling to me. The root of conservatives' action is, as usual, fear. Fear of change, the unknown, you name it. By their very definition, conservatives don't like change.

However, the idea that if we recognize the existence of homosexuality, suddenly it will run rampant in society is a load of crap. People, there is no threat to the "traditional family" here. The vast majority of people will still marry someone of the opposite sex and the birth rate will not be affected, the only new thing will be a part of the population allowed to live their lives like they want to and not be second class citizens (which most people who are openly non-heterosexual are right now).

Some (probably many) conservatives would have you believe that being gay is a choice that perverted and morally loose people consciously make. That would've been like saying during the civil rights movement that black people choose to be black and therefore shouldn't have rights. That doesn't make sense, and the idea the one chooses one's sexuality doesn't either, because nobody (with very few exceptions) would choose to be a second class citizen.

Hopefully, more Americans will realize that homosexuality is just another of the many traits that differ from person to person and make us human, like skin color, religion, size, language, the list differences embraced by society goes on and on. It troubles me, therefore, that numerous states have taken it upon themselves to ban gay marriage, although one or two actually recognize these marriages. If you discriminate on this basis, what's next? A repeal of the Persons With Disabilities Act? Latinos having to give up their seat to a white person?

A person is a person is a person, and they all have the same rights.

No, Alex, this doesn't make me gay.