The issue of marriage has been at the forefront of my musings lately. One could say it's almost become an obsession. Perhaps it's because, at the ripe ol' age of 35, I met the man of my dreams and, Anno Domini 2009, I finally have the opportunity to legally wed him in a handful of states. Or, maybe it's because, as the war over same-sex marriage wages full-scale in the Land of the Free for Most, I find myself growing increasingly more outraged by the pathetic excuses used to "preserve the sanctity of marriage"; some are truly laughable. Then there's the ever-nagging question of when exactly marriage became a Christian enterprise, and if, indeed, it is such, what are the full ramifications of surrendering this "God-ordained institution" to those who walk among the Elect. In the end, it's probably all these reasons, among myriad others, that have fomented my resolve to commence this blog. But before I tread this trail, which is certain to be a long and laborious trek, I should probably offer a few details regarding who I am. (Truth in reporting is the order of the day here; this isn't FOX News™!) ... I am a 37-year-old GWM—that is, "Gay White Male" in personal ad parlance. I have a partner of almost two years, who I intend to legally wed in one of those six blessed states—"Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont (effective September 1, 2009), Maine (scheduled to become effective September 2009, pending possible referendum) and New Hampshire (effective January 1, 2010)" (Human Rights Campaign, 2009, ¶ 6)—on August 14, 2009. My partner is Hispanic and 13 years my junior, which makes us both an interracial and an intergenerational couple—a spicy pairing I assure you! I am a Christian; he is not. Having divulged that, I must also posit the following caveat: It is more correct to say that I believe in and endeavor to adhere to the teachings of Jesus Christ as I understand those teachings. Many modern Christians will contend that I do not belong among them, that I am not worthy of their label, which is fine. Rejection is, unfortunately, an ever-present fact of life for most GLBTQI1 folks; we're used to it. Moreover, I personally hesitate to claim the label of Christian because I do not wish to be counted among those who manipulate God to justify their personal prejudices, bigotry, and hatred. This seems to me the very antithesis of Christianity, but then, I don't hold a doctoral degree in theology, nor have I been granted apostolic succession by the ecclesiastical authorities. (If that last tidbit leaves you scratching your head, consider yourself lucky.) I should also throw in the fact that I hold a baccalaureate degree, not because I consider it an essential—or even important—aspect of who I am, but because modern American culture considers it a critical distinction. In all actuality, some of the most intelligent people I know have never darkened the door of an institution of post-secondary education. That said, I'm also a statistic for "the other half" because I dropped out of high school at the age of 17. More on that later ... maybe ...
So, we'll begin with the foregoing sketch, realizing of course that it will immediately turn numerous people off on both sides of the fence—those who believe that a gay Christian is an oxymoron and my GLBTQI brothers and sisters who have been so utterly devastated by institutionalized Christianity that they have chosen to unconditionally reject it. In a nutshell, I introduce this blog conceding that I am writing it for a limited audience who has an interest in the topic of marriage, more specifically same-sex marriage, and anything else I decide to throw in the mix.
Before we delve into the issue at hand, let's discuss the rules of this blog as well as my intentions for it. I am not being paid to write this blog; I write it as an exercise of my free will, under the protection of the First Amendment, which may or may not apply to me as a gay citizen. (Since my right to marry the individual of my choosing has been perpetually suspect, it would seem that the guarantee of my Constitutional liberties could very well be called into question too, though GLBTQI Americans have enjoyed most of them thus far. But not so long ago, there was that ineffaceable stain on history known as the Holocaust ... ) As my audience, you choose what to accept and what to reject from my musings and rants. You may also elect to comment, providing your commentary is issued in the form of one or more well-formed sentences that demonstrate a rational perspective on the matter at hand. Please understand that there are comments I will not publish, which include ramblings that are largely incoherent and linguistically incorrect. (Don't worry: a single grammatical error or two will not get you tossed out; however, I reserve the right to poke fun of your improper use of language! Likewise, please feel free to make me the butt of your jokes should I commit a syntactical faux pas. My embarrassment will propel me to amend it immediately!) To mitigate redundancy, I will also exclude any comments that simply reiterate an opposing argument I've already cited or referenced within a given post. And if you're a member of the Fred Phelps Posse, don't even think about posting to my blog; I will not afford you a forum to spew your venom. Yes, I am acting as Censor. You're welcome to sue me if you don't like it. Now, let's move on to my intentions ...
As I mentioned in the introductory paragraph of this post (hereinafter evermore to be referred to as the "Preface"), a plethora of arguments abound that are opposed to same-sex marriage. I intend to spend the better part of this blog refuting each of those arguments as they present themselves. I have found that most of these arguments do not stand up to logical scrutiny; they are formed in the crucible of our acculturation. Rather than stand as valid reasons to prohibit same-sex marriage, most tend to fall as products of cultural and religious prejudices and intolerance. Of course, you're free to disagree on that point. And, if you do, I don't intend to change your mind. Stop reading. Find another blog that better conforms to your beliefs and convictions. And don't bother to pause to let me know that I'm a "pervert," "faggot," "Sodomite," etc. Been there, done that. The epithets are old and tired, so let's move on to a more adult level of engagement, shall we? If you happen to be neutral on the issue of same-sex marriage, I would like to propose what I believe are very cogent arguments in support of it, hoping to sway you to my side of the debate. Yes, I am biased. To a certain extent, we all are. I'm also passionate about what I believe, so I'll concede that I'm opinionated from the get-go. And; by merit of the fact that I'm gay, Christian, and American—not necessarily in that order; I claim authority to write on this issue as I am. So, read on if you agree. Read on if you don't agree and enjoy an opposing point of view. Read on if you just don't know.
Before concluding this post, I wish to dedicate this blog, in its entirety, to my partner-in-life, soul mate, man of my dreams, and soon to be legal spouse. Know that I love you with all my heart and soul, BP. Godspeed to the day that the whole country affords our relationship the proper recognition it deserves. Until then and ultimately, the flame that burns as one in our hearts, is all the validation we need.
1 GLBTQI, an acronym that I will use commonly throughout this blog, denotes Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgendered/Questioning/Intersexed persons. This is one of several currently acceptable designations for sexual minorities.
CREDIT: Image courtesy of WikiMedia Commons, released to the public domain by the copyright holder.
Reference
Human Rights Campaign. (2009, July 7). D.C. law recognizing out-of-jurisdiction marriages by same-sex couples takes effect. Retrieved July 7, 2009, from http://www.hrc.org/13072.htm
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1 comments:
I get the feeling I will enjoy this blog. I don't suscribe to any real blogs (because myspace blogging isn't really it for me), but this is great. Keep it coming my friend.
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