The Part Where Colorado Passed Civil Unions!!!!

Yayyyyyyyy! Yeah... I get a lot of information about Colorado because my roommate is from there and her family is very political.

Anyways, I guess this post should actually be called:

"The Part Where Colorado Passed Civil Unions... and I Have a Bone to Pick With My Church and My Country"

So, the blog about three C's!

First and foremost, YAY for Colorado. Good for you guys to take the step (yes, I know a multitude of other states have done it first, but this is the one that has happened most recently, and thus is the impetus for this blog). Second: ground facts for the rest of this blog (and, you know, for my life in general haha), I am a cradle-Catholic, and do love my religion with all my heart. That being said, I cannot call myself someone who shows respect and love for all peoples if I didn't support gay marriage, or at least civil unions. Can you see where there might be a disparity between my religious views and my personal views?

The Roman Catholic Church has come out staunchly against gay marriage, and, well, gays in general =/. That being said, I acknowledge that the LGBT community has been shunned from the Church, in various ways, most of them unfair. It hurts me to say this too, considering that churches of every kind should be places of acceptance and love... at least, that's what they taught me at my Catholic parochial school, and at mass every Sunday...But that's (kind of) for another time.

The United States government, so far, (on a federal level) has yet to really make a stand either way. Individual states have allowed marriage between LGBT couples, but even more have specifically banned same sex marriage in their state constitutions. Yes, individual politicians have come out in support of gay marriage, but the Federal Supreme Court has yet to make a decision on California's highly divisive Prop 8, which started way back in 2008, and which could be key in either overturning or reinforcing the same sex marriage bans in other states. DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) is similarly up for debate on whether or not it is constitutional, so while it can be said that the federal government is anti-gay marriage, at this point, even that's up for debate.

Anyways, that's just the background for the opinions that are to follow:

First, I am strongly of the opinion that the United States Federal government has a DUTY to legalize gay marriage, or civil unions for same sex couples at the very least -- on the condition that same sex civil unions give the same rights that are offered to opposite sex couples. A DUTY, Tiffany, really? Yes, a DUTY.

Does anyone know where this comes from?: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

That, folks, is from the Declaration of Independence. In other words, the very basis of our Revolution against the British was to have all people in the colonies be considered equals and have the right to life, liberty, and happiness ... and in some cases, happiness means being able to get married! Thus, I believe it to be the federal government's DUTY to enforce what we fought for over 200 years ago.

Furthermore, the First Amendment of the Constitution instates the idea of "separation of church and state", as intended by Thomas Jefferson while he was rallying for signatures that would pass the First Amendment. The fact that so many people are using religion as their main reason to oppose gay marriage or civil unions is actually forcing church and state together. In fact, if we really are based around religious equality, or especially the ability to choose to be free of religion, passing marriage equality would be a way to enforce the separation of church and state that really should be happening in a country that claims religious freedom as one of its ideals.

Essentially, the federal government has a duty to work towards equality for ALL its citizens. And the church has NEEDS to stay out of a government that isn't connect to it in any way other than having a population of believers inside its borders.

On the flip side, the government also needs to stay out of the business of the Church, as does the backlash that the Church goes through every time it decides to be anti-gay marriage. The separation of church and state goes both ways.

While it is the duty of the federal government to legalize gay marriage, the Church does NOT have the duty to support it. As a private organization, the Church is like an individual; she is allowed to have opinions and act upon them as she sees fit. While I don't necessarily agree with the Church's standing on gay marriage, I have to respect the fact that this is their stance. Everyone should respect their choice; deciding to abuse the Church for its stance is impeding on the right to free speech that the United States allows.

I don't know; this is just my personal opinion: I get that one's religion is deeply ingrained in oneself. It's impossible to truly separate the two and try to step outside oneself to look at this issue with a unbiased eye, but I really believe that if an unbiased eye looked at the situation we have put ourselves in, we would notice the lack of equality and respect that the LGBT community gets from a lot of Americans.

Coming out is really hard for some people, especially in a country that touts freedom and equality as an ideal, but then allows its laws and citizens to overrule and intimidate away their freedoms. What I figure is: it all comes down to LOVE. If a man and a woman love each other enough, they can get married, have kids, pay their taxes together, and are given certain rights because they are family. I don't see why a man and a man, or a woman and a woman who love each other enough can't get those rights as well. Same sex marriage or civil unions aren't about proving anything or "stickin' it to the man" or whatever; they're about showing true, undying love to one another, just as opposite sex marriage is.

And you know what? If LOVE is what they got, then that's all I need.

--Tiffany