The Gay Marriage Agenda and the Religious Right: Seeking Common Ground

With Iowa and Vermont legalizing same-sex marriage and New York following suit by introducing legislation that would legalize it there, a change is coming. Nate Silver, a prominent statistician who is known for his ability to predict elections based off of large amounts of poll data, has predicted that by the mid 2010’s about half of the states in the union will have the necessary population to legalize same-sex marriage with Mississippi being the last state to legalize it in 2024.

Photo of a protesters sign reading:
THE GAY AGENDA
(1) EQUAL RIGHTS
(2) SEE ITEM 1
Taken at a Gay Rights Rally at San Francisco's City Hall shortly after the passing of Proposition 8
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39039882@N00/3128112442 from Tantek

These statistics and the fact that the Gay Rights Movement will not stop until they have fulfilled their agenda equal rights, lead me to believe that within 15 years gay marriage will be legal in each state, even Utah, either through decisions of the supreme court of through legislation at either the state of national level. Given that this “storm” is coming and people are seeking to avoid the same-sex movement from invading their lives.

I think that the conservative movement and the religious right need to change their tactics from an attempt of trying to stop allowing equal rights to homosexuals and instead start to advocate for it, on their terms.

When same sex marriages have been legalized in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and California, it was through the Supreme Court deciding how the law would be interpreted. And while California’s decision was repealed by proposition 8, it passed by only a 2% margin and is expected to be overturned, if not by the Supreme Court, then by a new proposition in 2010 when there will be a larger youth population who are largely in favor of same-sex marriage. Vermont, however legalized it through their legislation where there is a much wider venue for compromise and negotiations within the bill being created.

It would be in the best interest of the conservatives and religious right to stop trying to legislate their morality to everyone and instead protect what they have by coming together to find common ground. A legislature that is willing to work towards equal rights of homosexual couples has much more power to add protections to religions that, in a Supreme Court decision, are not present. New Jersey could add into a gay marriage bill the explicit allowance for excluding homosexuals from using church owned property, even if it was supported by public funds. Nevada could stipulate that in exchange for gay marriage, the education in schools is not allowed to mention homosexuality.

Many view this solution of compromise as failure because neither side gets what they fully want, but that is what a compromise is. This is the structure upon which our Constitution is written. The large states wanted proportional representation and the smaller states wanted strict equal representation. The result is our bicameral legislature that has stood the test of time. Why can’t people on both sides of the gay marriage debate meet in the middle and seek common ground?

So come on Utah, put down your Book of Mormon and please accept us and allow us the agency to sin, we do not seek to force you to get a gay marriage, but please allow us the happiness of spending our lives with a partner for time on this earth. President Monson, please stop your campaign to protect the moral fabric of society by outlawing same-sex marriage, and instead help Utah achieve some common ground. If you don't then Gay rights advocates will most likely work continuously to harm the Church and will eventually legalize it in Utah on their terms not on equal footing. Please, wake up and see the writing on the wall and change your tactics.