2008 Woodie Awards
Equal rights for all
By Rebekah Balmer
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: Op-Ed
We live in a world of hate, injustice and discrimination, even though the Declaration of Independence signed in 1776 clearly states that "all [wo]men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…" This statement, however, does not in any way mean that everyone is treated equally.
Certain rights, such as the right to marry, are not granted to all. More specifically, this right is denied to homosexuals. This is mainly because the United States states its definition of marriage as something that is between one man and one woman. However, "each individual's journey through life is uniq ue. Some will make this journey alone, others in loving relationships-maybe in marriage, or other forms of commitment. We need to ponder our own choices and try to understand the choices of others. Love has many shapes and colors and is not finite. It cannot be measured or defined in terms of sexual orientation." This statement was taken from the Statement of Affirmation and Reconciliation by the Quaker meeting in Aotearoa.
The institution of marriage has been in a state of flux for centuries. It was only after the civil war that African-Americans were allowed to marry in all areas of the U.S., and then it was only after a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1967 that mixed race couples could marry anywhere in the U.S. But, until recently, same-sex couples could not marry anywhere, not just in the U.S., but in the entire world. In April 2001, Holland was the first country to change their definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.
After this, other countries followed suit, such as Belgium and Spain. Eventually all of Canada allowed same-sex marriage as well. Same-sex marriage, or its equivalent, is being actively discussed in a few countries of the world, including Ireland and Switzerland. Despite these great efforts in Europe and Canada to treat all equally, the United States is still far behind in this evolution.
Certain rights, such as the right to marry, are not granted to all. More specifically, this right is denied to homosexuals. This is mainly because the United States states its definition of marriage as something that is between one man and one woman. However, "each individual's journey through life is uniq ue. Some will make this journey alone, others in loving relationships-maybe in marriage, or other forms of commitment. We need to ponder our own choices and try to understand the choices of others. Love has many shapes and colors and is not finite. It cannot be measured or defined in terms of sexual orientation." This statement was taken from the Statement of Affirmation and Reconciliation by the Quaker meeting in Aotearoa.
The institution of marriage has been in a state of flux for centuries. It was only after the civil war that African-Americans were allowed to marry in all areas of the U.S., and then it was only after a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1967 that mixed race couples could marry anywhere in the U.S. But, until recently, same-sex couples could not marry anywhere, not just in the U.S., but in the entire world. In April 2001, Holland was the first country to change their definition of marriage to include same-sex couples.
After this, other countries followed suit, such as Belgium and Spain. Eventually all of Canada allowed same-sex marriage as well. Same-sex marriage, or its equivalent, is being actively discussed in a few countries of the world, including Ireland and Switzerland. Despite these great efforts in Europe and Canada to treat all equally, the United States is still far behind in this evolution.
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Steve
posted 3/31/08 @ 4:27 PM EST
"Promoting hatred and bigotry . . . is what destroys society, not the marriage of two loving people of the same gender," Raymond Miller said in The Toronto Star. (Continued…)
cbret22
Casey
posted 3/31/08 @ 8:06 PM EST
The founding fathers did not intend for people to change their writings to say "[wo]men." They said men and making editorial changes to it to suit the purposes of this article is wrong
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