“The people will believe what the media tells them they believe.” – George Orwell
Do you believe in marriage equality?
Are you sure?
Supporters of homosexual unions wave the equal rights flag, claiming they believe in equality for all. I believe that people really do think they mean equality when they say it. I also know from personal experience that many don’t really think it through, because while some say they believe in equality, when the subject of consanguinamorous or polyamourous marriages arises, conversations shut down.
We don’t deny people their rights because we want to, we do it because they are in situations that either we don’t understand or can’t comprehend. We all know of the struggles that homosexuals have faced to gain the right to marry and be treated as equals. Every day we see it on the news and we experience it with our friends. Therefore, that part of the subject is easy to analyze. However, what if the situation is something that you don’t think about? It’s a type of relationship that is happening around you, yet you’re completely unaware of it because those involved are living in shadows. The truth is, not only do you know people who are or have been involved in relationships you can’t fathom, you also know people who are being denied of their rights.
For a long time, homosexual relationships were considered taboo because everyone said they were. Finally, the taboo is fading because people are going public with their lifestyles and engaging in intelligent conversations about it. This brings about the understanding that those involved are not deviants. Many homosexuals, especially those over forty, will tell you the road has not been easy. The day they first held hands in public with someone of the same sex was probably scary as hell for them. If you’re a straight individual, how did you feel the first time you held hands in public? It was probably pretty exciting to get to show the world that you loved someone and that someone loved you. Now imagine being denied that because of what others may think.
In some countries, any public display of affection is illegal. In America, we baulk at that fact and comment that people need to get over themselves. Since so many Americans chastise those in consanguinamorous relationships, doesn’t this sound a little hypocritical?
Now you can talk about reproductive issues all you want. I can fight you on anything you can throw at me with that one. We’ve been so brainwashed into believing the birth defect argument is valid that we naturally assume it is. Guess what. The media both lies and distorts facts. They shape things the way they want to. It happens in politics and it happens in science. Invalid arguments should not be the basis for any law.
Now let’s look at polyamory. Truthfully, I don’t get it. I was raised to believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, and even though I’ve been completely fine with removing the gender restriction, the two people part has stuck with me. Then one day I realized that my personal preference denies others their rights. If three, or four, or five people can live together in harmony, who am I to say that they should not? Yep, I had hypocrite tattooed on my forehead and didn’t realize it.
So do you believe in equal rights or don’t you? Are you one of those people who has a “Marriage For All” bumpersticker on his car, yet you don’t feel that polyamory should be legal or that siblings should be allowed to marry? I’m not calling you a liar. You probably put that sticker on feeling very open-minded. I once felt very open-minded about marriage, and then I was shown that I wasn’t as liberal as I thought. I’ve written a series of romance novels involving siblings. What will you do to show you believe in equality?
I urge you to think about it—to really question why we make love laws. You don’t have to understand the types of relationships; you only have to support your fellow, consenting, adult human. Ask yourself how many things in your life you can’t understand and therefore don’t accept. Then ask yourself if it’s really right that we are not all being treated as equals. Finally, do something about it, even if it is as simple as giving a little love and ending your own judgment.
It’s time to decide right here, right now, that you will no longer deny people their rights.
Information on the birth defect argument, along with how those involved in consanguinamorous relationships are unjustly punished, can be found in the post: The Unjust Crime of Love.