I wanted to write a response to Andrew O'Connor's article "Defining Marriage." There has been a lot in the news since Election Day about Proposition 8 and activists protesting the ban of gay marriage in California, Florida and Arizona.
I am in disagreement with O'Connor about the definition of marriage and disagree with his comparison of the fight for rights for GLBT people to those who fought for the rights during the feminist and civil rights movements. I do believe marriage was meant for a man and woman and no one else. It clearly states that in the Bible in Romans 1 and that it goes against God's plan for creation. O'Connor claims Christianity says God made us in his image, and that includes making people "straight, gay, lesbian, transgender, or just plain queer." This is totally incorrect because while God made us in his image, I believe it is a choice, unlike being born a certain race, or being born male or female. While I don't believe religious groups should attack so negatively toward the issue or treat them different than anyone else, I do believe marriage is meant to be between a man and a woman.
I do believe GLBT people should receive civil unions and have the same rights as others in regard to visitation to family members in hospitals.
To compare discrimination of GLBT people to people of different races or being male or female is flat out wrong. When interracial couples were discriminated against, and some still are, they were born with their race, and it was not a choice.
The same goes for the civil rights movement and feminist movement. They were fighting for rights and equality because they were being discriminated against because of who they were and always have been and not a choice or decision they made.
While I know there have been hate crimes and negative actions against GLBT people, they are not even close to the actions committed against people of other races or for being female. When someone is of color or is a female, you can tell. Discrimination has been proven, as women are paid less than men and minorities have had disadvantages in the work place. If someone is GLBT, you cannot tell directly by appearance and many are successful.
Also, to say that Obama "copped" out during the election for being for civil unions is incorrect because he would guarantee equal rights for GLBT couples in a civil union but would leave it up to churches to decide whether or not to "marry" GLBT couples. McCain had the same policy on this issue. Another thing that O'Connor said was that "it never ceases to amaze me that people really care about stopping gay marriage. They are not demanding any particular religious group to accept them, they are just asking for equal rights from the state." But the truth is, they are asking for acceptance. Marriage is religious, regardless of who you are. Why else would most weddings occur at a church and have a priest or pastor present to do the wedding?
There will be a continuous fight on both sides of this issue, but the main thing is that GLBT people should be given equal rights but not the right to marry, and in no way should the fight for GLBT rights be compared to the fight against slavery, the civil rights movement, the feminist movement or the fight to approve interracial marriage.
Phillips is a sophomore studying kinesiology and exercise science.
