Fundamentally Flawed

There are a few constants in my morning routine… the bus ride to work, my 24 oz. black coffee, chocolate chip muffin, and the daily edition of “Metro” (a newspaper which fits comfortably in my price range).  Although the paper is generally 20 some odd pages of ads and celebrity gossip, they usually manage to squeeze in a few good articles.

This morning, the dedicated a section of the front page to discuss the looming same-sex marriage battle coming to Pennsylvania.

Living in Philadelphia, I am confronted with a sort of political paradox.  Philly is one of the most progressive cities in the country, and is generally regarded to be what is called a “gay-friendly” city.  Most of the businesses gladly cater to gay clientele (apparently realizing that gay money is also green), and the overwhelming majority of us straight folks support gay rights.

However, large portions of central Pennsylvania are very much part of what can be considered the “Bible Belt”, a rural fundamentalist Christian stronghold.

Because of this contrast, the laws of our commonwealth do not always reflect the attitudes of our fair city.  This had caused a great deal of frustration for Philly’s sizable gay community.  While they have never actually passed, there have been attempts by our state legislature to define what many consider to be “traditional” marriage.

The latest attempt is a proposal by Senator John Eichelberger (R-Hollidaysburg) to amend our state constitution to define marriage as a union between one man and one women.  Metro printed the following quote:

“The government recognized many years ago this is the best model for society.  People live longer, they raise children better so they should use that model. …It’s a proven model that our forefathers recognized”

I think it should be pointed out that what he is describing are the benefits of marriage, although not necessarily straight marriage.  As far as the comments about our forefathers, I would be quite curious to find out exactly what George Washington or Thomas Jefferson said about the subject of marriage equality.  I don’t think the issue ever came up, as they were far too busy contemplating that fact that their slaves counted as three fifiths of a human being.  But I digress.

In contrast to this proposal, another has been made by Senator Daylin Leach (D-King of Prussia) to recognize all marriages as valid and grant same sex married couples the same rights and responsibilities as their straight counterparts.  I very much enjoyed his quote on the subject:

“It’s inevitable.  We’ll think of it as we think of interracial marriage. … I want to … at least have Pennsylvania in the middle of the pack instead of hanging out toward the back with Alabama and Mississippi.”

I certainly hope none of my freethinking friends from the south are offended by this remark (I doubt they are, as they are usually the first to mock the fundamentalism within their own states).  I think Sen. Leach has made a very important point with this statement.

Despite what our fundamentalist friends would have us believe, gay rights are moving forward and will continue to do so.  Ultimately, any society which professes to uphold the principles of equality must abolish any vestiges of the old “separate but equal” philosophies of the past.  Our generation will eventually be judged by those who follow many years down the road.  Will we be seen as people who stood for fairness and equality, or will we be seen as a paradoxical generation who regarded individuals as three fifths of a human being?

Personally, I see a great deal of hope.  Homophobia seems far less common among young Americans today.  In addition, the ranks of atheists, agnostics, humanists, and progressive believers are growing every day.  People are becoming far less inclined to allow antiquated dogmas to define their opinions on sexaul morality, adopting a “to each his own” or “live and let live” philosophy.

This is, of course, just a personal observation.  However, I do strongly feel that we are seeing old fashioned religious fundamentalism in its death throws.  We might not live to see the end of it, but I’m certain our children and grandchildren will.

And what will happen when they do?  Will they thank us for the work we’ve done to move human rights forward, or will they see us as a group of apathetic individuals who said nothing while our brothers and sisters drowned in a sea of ancient dogma and intolerance?

As I said, to each his own.  It is entirely up to you to determine how you will be remembered.  Personally, I hope to be remembered as someone who stood up for the rights of all and rejected the mythologies of the past… and I hope that you will be remembered right there beside me.