For some reason, I got placed in the "politicians" category of guest bloggers, probably since my piece contains arguments which would be effective in a lobbying visit with an elected official (like what is happening on Tuesday February 17th in Sacramento, Equality California's Lobby Day to Repeal Proposition 8 which I will be participating in next week. If you'd like to join us, register with EQCA by 8pm tomorrow, which is National Freedom To Marry Day.) Here is an excerpt of my thoughts on Why I Support The Freedom To Marry:
Head on over to the Straight Talk On Marriage blog and read the rest!I support the freedom to marry for same-sex couples for one simple reason: it’s the right thing to do. I believe in fairness, equality and reciprocity and would like to believe that a majority of Americans share these values. As a college professor, I believe that Americans don’t understand that if they believe in the values of fairness, equality and reciprocity then they should also support the freedom to marry.
It is unfair to deny the rights and responsibilities that are attached to a civil marriage license to same-sex couples. Opposite sex couples could meet one day and get married the very next day and have access to over 1,100 state and federal laws and regulations, including the right to sponsor a foreign partner for permanent immigrant status, joint tax filing and the right to refuse to testify against a spouse in court, just to mention a few.
There is inequality in how same-sex relationships are recognized by the state and federal governments as well as the society at large. I have been in a relationship with another man since 1991, shared a household since 1994, registered as domestic partners since 1999 but the federal government and most businesses consider me “single."
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