Banning same-sex marriage in Indiana

The proposed resolution to amend the Indiana Constitution and ban same-sex marriages is a horrible idea.

Let’s start with the fact that what people do with their lives, assuming they are not harming others or themselves, is none of anyone else’s business. How is it bad for you if people of the same sex want to get married?

If you don’t like it, don’t be friends with them. Plain and simple.

Not everyone follows the same religion, and people shouldn’t be held to others’ beliefs.
And let’s not fool ourselves — this is a religion thing.

Which brings us to point two: separation of church and state.

Again, let’s not kid ourselves — the two aren’t as separate as some of us would like, even at the state level. Anyone who’s ever wanted to buy alcohol on a Sunday in Indiana can tell you that. But that doesn’t make it right.

Freedom of religion is one of the foundations of this country. Forcing people to follow the dictates of one major belief system by legally hemming them in so they can’t make their own decisions about things like marriage goes directly against that tenant.

Amending the state constitution to specifically ban a civil liberty is a frightening thing.
One group of people doesn’t like what another is doing — does that mean the second group’s actions, which are not harming anyone, should be banned? Absolutely not.
First, homosexual couples won’t be allowed to marry. Then what? A majority group doesn’t like hijabs or Stars of David, so they create a constitutional amendment that makes crosses the only allowed religious symbol?

Then they don’t like women working outside the home or people of minority races holding certain positions. And suddenly we’re in a Margaret Atwood novel. And it’s been done so slowly that no one tries to stop it until it’s too late.

The U.S. Constitution is supposed to protect all of us — white, black, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, men, women, gay or straight.

It is a majority rule, but minorities are supposed to be protected from having rights and liberties stripped away.

One ideology should not rule us all. It’s shameful that Americans, brought up to respect freedom and personal choice (after all, isn’t that what we laud over the theocracies? We can choose?), should seek to impose regulations upon others that interfere with their choices.

And if this is allowed to pass, what will be next?

The people trying to impose their beliefs upon others should be ashamed of their actions.

The fact that they’re trying legal procedures to enforce their will is scary; the fact that they might be allowed to succeed goes against everything this country stands for — freedom.

Passing this legislation makes us no better than the Middle Eastern theocracies that inhibit women’s freedom. This is denying a group of people something they deserve — equality — based on a religion’s beliefs about them.

That is wrong.


E-mail: hanns@indiana.edu