This is not a political blog. I normally limit my topics to writing or publishing. My purpose is to document my experiences as a writer, and to offer a window into my life for readers who may want to know more about me. However, some of what I write is M/M romance. As such, my choice to speak publicly about my writing is inescapably political.
For the past two days, I have been tracking the arguments in the US Supreme Court regarding California’s Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). As a gay man, my feelings on the subject are strong. They are also personal and perhaps outside the scope of this blog, but I think a statement of my beliefs at this historic moment is appropriate.
I support the right of adults to marry and to raise children. Race, religion, sexual preference, or gender do not enter into it. I believe that marriage is, first and foremost, a declaration of commitment to a shared life: shared goals, shared resources, and shared experiences. I believe that marriage requires communication, strengthens human ties, and teaches community-building skills. As such, I believe marriage to be a social good, which should be encouraged and supported by the state for all persons who can be convinced to embrace it. I think that DOMA and Proposition 8 are wrong, not only because they create a class of persons for the purpose of discriminating against them, but also because they don’t serve the interest of the country or its citizens. Marriage is responsible behavior. It does not make sense to me to engage in law-making for the purpose of discriminating against a group of citizens who merely wish to engage in responsible behavior.
Our founding fathers wisely created a political system insulated from religion. They understood that organized religion is inherently exclusionary. Its fundamental proposition is that we true believers are right, and you non-believers and heretics are wrong. Yet we live in a world of diverse religions and beliefs. Historically, when we have tried to put religious beliefs into law, our actions have inevitably resulted in oppression of non-believers, often in the most brutal and inhuman of ways.
I believe that most opposition to gay marriage in this country is religiously motivated, and that we are wise to keep this motive out of the statehouse. In my lifetime, our country has made great strides in lessening the misery caused by its discriminatory laws and oppression of minorities. I propose that we should learn from our past, and treat all citizens with dignity, regardless of their sexual preferences, and afford them the equal protection and application of the law. DOMA and Proposition 8 should go.
Book II 