Marriage and Equality II
The USA joins the victoriously ever-growing fight for same love.
When I wrote my previous article ‘Marriage and Equality’, an incredible and humbling emotion had graced my mind. To know that today’s society (even if it be a cerebrally Westernised opinion on equal rights), adjusted the formal definition and belief that marriage be the formal union of man and woman to that of ‘the formal union of man and woman, (or in some jurisdictions, the same sex), as partners in a relationship’.
When the news that the UK had joined the wave of countries allowing people of the same gender to become married and legally declare their love, this gave me an intense sense of hope and value: It was the beginning of my process of socially internalising the fact that yes, I am indeed, a gay man.
I no longer felt that I, (to a large extent) had to suppress my sexuality, as well as my longstanding idea that I would one day settle down with another man in what may be considered an unorthodox family. My attraction to the same gender would no longer overshadow me as a person or my rights, and I will be free to love my boyfriend without the concern that I will not be able to someday ‘officialise’ our love in a traditional manner; or even have an ‘unnatural’ love due to our inability to ‘procreate’ traditionally . The world’s adaptiation to ‘Gay’ marriage and equality is a beautiful victory against prejudice. As I said in my previous article, it is indeed a remarkable victory which has exemplified how social change can quickly come about when fighting for the justice of one’s rights in a cohesive manner.
The 26th June 2015 has marked a universal day of equality for America — all fifty states have been issued with the power to grant same-sex couples the legal status of marriage.
In what may prove to be a great civil rights case in a generation sparked by the Obergefell Vs. Hodges case, five of the nine court justices determined that the right to marriage equality was enshrined under the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. American citizens were starting to fall back into their founder’s principle that we are all created equal. Our rights as humans should not be differentiated by gender or race, especially in a nation deemed as the ‘land of opportunities’.
“Our nation was founded on a bedrock principle that we are all created equal. The project of each generation is to bridge the meaning of those founding words with the realities of changing times,” — Barack Obama (26 June 2015).
With such a ruling, the Supreme Court today argued that ‘No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family.’ The ratification of same-sex marriage across all States in America has created a unitive feeling of dignity in the eyes of the law, especially for those fighting for equal marriage. With congress’ decision to grant such a right, marriage between two men or two women, has become even further a diligent social norm. Support for such a great ruling has taken social media by storm, with many Facebook users changing their profile pictures to include a ‘rainbow filter’, to support the pride movement of sexuality equality. American President, Barack Obama instigated the public cooing of the trend #LoveWins on twitter, by expressing his happiness that Gay and Lesbian couples have been granted the same rights as heterosexual couples.
Despite the heartwarmingly positive support the Equal Marriage campaign has received globally, it is greatly disconcerting that homophobic ideologies are still a ubiquitous trend within our ever-contemporarising society, exacerbated by the likes of ‘traditioinalist’ organisations such as Westboro Baptist Church. Described as an ‘outrageously grotesque sin against God’, the chruch has continued to throw its imprudently out-dated ideologies of homosexuality. With people even threatening to set themselves on fire at the decision to allow same-sex marriages, it truly is concerning to read, or even witness the behaviour of those who feel strong prejudice against sexualities (or even races), impeding upon the social development of the world and the drive to dissipate the intolerance of equality.
Knowing that such discrimination is still a global issue, it absolutely disgusts me that people hold opinions as vile to suggest that gay people should be killed for loving someone of the same gender, or that homosexual lives should be destroyed and/or ‘converted’ (presuming whichever comes first).
Falling in love with someone of the same gender is something that I take extreme pride in: Not just because I’ve had the privilege in meeting someone (who yes, is the same gender as me) who I feel so happy and complete with, but because it is so gratifying to see people not be afraid to show that they love someone. Finding that one person that you can trust your life with, where there is an unquestionable feeling of knowing that you are in love with them, is one of the most prideful feelings you can have as a human — whether that be a heteronormative or homosexual figure of love.
Love is love. You cannot hold back on what you feel without it emotionally pulling you down. It is apparent that society needs to further their understanding that everyone has their own lives;
whether or not you agree with a person’s choice in partner and their natural attraction to their said ‘gender’, you should be happy that the person is comfortable in who and what they are.
America has taken a bold step towards joining the fight to educate the world that love is love, and that traditional values are in need of diversification. We still have a long way to go in the drive towards equality and harmony, but America has pridefully joined in the movement for great social change.
