Bush is so gay -- my article for the school paper
Discrimination is a problem I have faced only a few times in my life. I grew up in Chicago where my neighbors were Mexican, white, black, Filipino, Polish, and Guatemalan, but mostly Puerto Rican. School enrollment modeled the same ethnic ratio. I attended bilingual classes until the fourth grade. My family spoke Spanglish at home and ate rice everyday; I knew I was different from the American kids portrayed on TV sitcoms, but I never felt out of place.
Once I graduated eighth grade, that feeling changed. The majority of my high school classmates came from affluent, Caucasian families. Almost half of my friends were now Jewish and my best friend Muslim. Fortunately, I faced only one ignorant remark about my heritage.
So far, my life in college has not improved this cultural gap. Diversity at CSB/SJU is rich with international students but lacks American minorities. People sometimes assume we are one in the same. Mentality like that does not bother me so much because I understand that much of Minnesota is ethnically and religiously homogeneous. What angers me more is when discrimination is solidified into our nation’s laws.
President Bush is seeking to make discrimination legal by banning same sex marriages. He is trying to “defend the sanctity of marriage.” Today, no leader would make such a claim against interracial couples or marriage between two people of different religions. We now consider that archaic thinking. Why are we, as a nation, regressing? What happened to basic human rights?
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” Idealistic? Yes. But we should strive for such level of equality. That declaration should stand on its own without any “but’s” or conditions.
The first amendment in the Bill of Rights begins: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” I believe that the President is trying to engrain religious beliefs into our laws. Who decides that marriage is a bond only between a man and a woman? Many oppose homosexual unions because they are “unnatural” and not what God intended. Apparently, sex is only valid if it is reproductive. I assume that those cunning linguists would never be caught in any fellatious activities.
Cultural restrictions on marriage are immoral as long as they aren’t our own, such as caste systems. To Americans, they may seem backwards. Most Muslim families partake in arranged marriages. Many of you may think, “How could they do that?” Mormons are typically known for being polygamous. I’m sure not everyone agrees with that one.
We all have opinions about marriage. We enjoy that right. But if the United States is the land of the free, we should realize that sanctified bonds are not exclusively heterosexual. Many of those marriages end in divorce. Character determines a good spouse: she should be loyal and he should respect her (or him).
We only have only one life. If you find someone to share it with, I congratulate you. No one should have to relinquish the right to love.
If we reach human equality, there is no need for gender equality.