30 Days of Truth -- Day 18: Let Them Be Married

Day 18 -- Your views on gay marriage.


As a lifelong Iowan (except for those four years I lived in Texas), I've never been prouder of my state than I was on April 3, 2009. I was actually in Texas on that day (I was visiting for Rangers' Opening Day) and I was delighted to wake up, check facebook on my phone and learn that the Iowa Supreme Court had upheld a district court's ruling that "there was no important governmental interest in denying citizens marriage licenses based on their sexual orientation." Subsequently, I've never been more ashamed to be an Iowan than on Nov. 3, 2010, when Iowa voters chose to remove three of the Iowa Supreme Court judges because of this ruling.


But, back to April 3, 2009....
 
I was so so excited. I have quite a few friends who are in committed same sex relationships, and finally they had a chance to be legally married. It's about time.  I don't get why there is so much opposition to gay marriage. If two people fall in love and want to commit to each other for life, why would anyone want to stand in the way of that?
 
The legalization of gay marriage doesn't directly affect me. I think a lot of straight people think it does though.  And I don't understand that.  How is it going to affect you?  Honestly.  I'm dying to know.  And don't start on this whole idea of "protecting the sanctity of marriage"?  Really?  The divorce rate in this country is over 50 percent, and several times a year we hear about celebrities breaking up because of infidelity. I'm not convinced straight people have the market cornered on "the sanctity of marriage."
 
Gay marriage doesn't hurt anyone. And, despite what a colleague has tried to convince me of, it won't cost taxpayers more money.  So what's the problem? Let people be who they are and marry whoever they want.