Marriage ... Amendment 1 or Abomination 1???

Last week, the state that I have called home for all but five years of my life took, in my opinion, a major step backwards. Most of you readers have probably heard by now that North Carolina is now something like the 30th state to pass a constitutional amendment that states that marriage in the state is recognized solely as between a man and a woman, and that no other forms of relationships are recognized by the state.

Unfortunately, with the passage of this amendment, the state has taken a big step backwards in the fight for equality for gay and lesbian couples. There was a lot of outrage around the state, and it came in many different forms. There was the bible-thumping Baptist that voted against the amendment, even though it meant possibly being shunned by his fellow church members. There was the kids I went to college with that felt that it was the right thing to do to vote against the law. Finally, there were the few brave souls willing to voice their support for the amendment in a public forum like Facebook.

No matter what your opinion on the vote, the ultimate thing that I took from it was that the people who were against the law passing were afraid of the rights that it took away from the people affected by it. At the same time, there were people that were for the passage of the law that took offense to people calling them ignorant for their beliefs and their passions. Ironic, isn't it? People that were for taking the rights away from individuals throughout the state were now feeling that nobody was respecting their opinions.

Think about that for a minute, let it simmer in your mind.

It is interesting that politics can be so polarizing, and makes us contradict the things that we believe. Personally, I was against the law, however it was not because I feel that marriage is an open agreement that can be shared between anyone. On the contrary, I strongly believe that marriage is solely a covenant between men, women and God. I don't even really feel that a courthouse wedding should be considered a marriage, but rather a civil union. Marriage for me is a sacred bond that is shared, and there is nothing that can come between that.

The reason I was against the law is because I do not believe that any amendment to any constitution should be used to remove rights from the people whom they are sworn to protect. I believe that everyone should have the right to live with whomever they want, and that these living arrangements should be recognized in a legally binding way, that allows for the same benefits that my wife or I have access to. Unfortunately, that is what was taken away from a specific population in this great state of North Carolina. I heard a statistic that something like 250,000 households are affected by this law in some way, but only 21,000 households were gay or lesbian. I think that breaks down to less than 10% of the total population was targeted by this sweeping legislation.

I feel pretty bad living in a state that felt pressured by the region in which it is located to passing a law like this. It kind of sets the whole civil rights movement backwards about 70 years. Now it is not the African-American population being persecuted, but an even narrower population that is feeling the sting that can come when religion and government get together and have a pow-wow. North Carolina is a battleground state in the upcoming election, and it will be interesting to see how the candidates use this hot button issue to solidify their position. It looks like Obama has taken the side of those against the law, while Romney will undoubtedly embrace the bible thumpers who helped pass this law. If the results of the primary last week hold true, then Romney will be walking away in early November with a victory in North Carolina, and a boost on the way to the White House.