Next week voters in four states - Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington State - will decide whether or not LGBT citizens in those states merit equality under the civil laws. That's right, under the civil laws, not the dogmas of various anti-gay religious denominations. The civil rights of a minority group should never be on the ballot for a majority to dispense or withhold as it may frivolously choose based on ignorance, bigotry and/or antiquated religious belief. Yet that's where we are in the supposed land of liberty and religious freedom. And leading the charge in support of inequality and the subversion of the U.S. Constitution are the Roman Catholic Church - and institution lead by men many of whom ought to be behind bars for obstruction of justice - and knuckle dragging Christianists who would rather cling to ancient texts written by nomadic herders. They are little more than a less violent version of the Taliban - the Christian Taliban, if you will. The New York Times looks at the ballot initiatives in these states and urges support for the principals of the Constitution and passage of marriage equality. Here are editorial highlights:
The freedom to marry is a fundamental right that should not have to be won or defended at the ballot box. In fact, ballot initiatives are a bad way to write or rewrite laws of any kind. Unfortunately, that is the reality of American politics, which is why same-sex marriage measures on the Nov. 6 ballot in Maine, Washington, Maryland and Minnesota could turn out to be pivotal in the struggle for marriage equality.
Although recent polls of likely Maine voters are encouraging, the outcome is still far from certain. Historically, polls on such ballot tests have been misleading, and anti-marriage forces are waging a loud propaganda campaign. They are running television commercials suggesting that marriage-equality opponents would be unfairly “fired, sued, fined and punished” if the referendum passes, and that it is possible to treat gay and lesbian couples fairly while still excluding them from the right to marry. It would help if the state’s two supposedly moderate Republican senators, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, who is retiring, would stand up against forces of intolerance within their party by publicly supporting the referendum.
In Washington State, voters will be deciding whether to let stand the authorization of same-sex marriage handily approved by the Legislature and signed into law by the state’s Democratic governor, Christine Gregoire, in February. As in Maine, opponents of marriage equality are trying to make the fallacious argument that marriage equality would somehow harm heterosexual couples.
The state’s Roman Catholic leaders have played a vocal role in trying to turn out a big “no” vote by Catholic parishioners. But major corporate players in the Seattle area, including Microsoft, Amazon and Starbucks, are supporting the measure. That is an encouraging development for the future of the issue nationwide.
If the law is approved by voters, the victory will owe much to the vigorous campaigning of Mr. O’Malley, the momentum created by President Obama’s endorsement of marriage equality and efforts, including by the N.A.A.C.P., to bolster support among blacks, who make up nearly 30 percent of Maryland’s residents.
The issue before Minnesota voters is whether to double-down on the state’s existing law outlawing same-sex marriage by enshrining the antigay ban in the State Constitution. With polls showing a tight contest, it is hard to believe that a majority of Minnesotans would opt to place their state so sharply on the wrong side of fairness.
Sadly, fairness has nothing to do with the motivations of the opponents of same sex marriage. Their religious traditions are now best known for ignorance, fear and hatred of others as they seek to inflict their religious beliefs on all. The good news is that younger Americans are leaving these religious traditions in droves. If there is such a thing as justice, one can only hope that some day the rights of Christians will be put on the ballot as they become a smaller element in the larger society. These people need to be treated as they have treated others. It is far past time that religion and religious denominations cease receive undeserved privileges and deference under America's laws.
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