Gay Marriage - A Middle Class View

Through out the history of this country, nearly every group of people that does not encompass white lander owners has had to fight for equal rights. Women fought for the right to vote and then to be treated/paid as well as men. African Americans were freed and, not until 100 years later, were given equal rights. Today's group is the LGBT community.

We live in interesting times and one of the hot topics of today is gay marriage. Unless you have been living under a rock, everyone from President Obama to the Pope to Raul Castro, the leader of Cuba, has come out with their stance on gay marriage. In simple terms, the gay community is fighting for equal rights parallel to the heterosexual community i.e. the right to be married and all other tax/financial/civil benefits that go along with it.

I am decidedly middle class. Not sure what that means anymore, but for me, I am fiscally conservative and socially liberal. I'm all about equal rights and I'm all about fair treatment but I'm also all about not spending our next three generations into debt. In fact, I too support gay marriage, straight marriage, transexual marriage, and any other marriage you can think of. Just as words change meaning over time, so to does the word "marriage." The word "marriage" has religious roots but seeing as we are a non-theocratic country, I believe it should apply to any two people who want to be together for life. This means work-provided health insurance, death benefits, tax benefits and financial obligations should all be available to them. However, I also believe, indeed having served in the military to defend it, the right of majority rule. If a majority of people vote to not have gay marriage, then that's it: no gay marriage in that state.

Recently in North Carolina, the people of that good state voted to keep marriage a heterosexual institution. They voted their conscience to not allow gay marriage. But people who are masters of manipulating the media and masses have started a movement that essentially belittles and makes fun of the people of North Carolina for voting their conscience. Sure North Carolina allows straight people to marry their 1st cousin, but that's beside the point: they used the same democratic/republic machinations that elects our leaders and adopts/denies civil and social initiatives as everyone else.

Certain elements of the LGBT and social communities didn't get their way and, instead of redoubling their efforts, chose to use childish antics. And shame on them. You (the childish antics users) shot yourself in the foot when you did that and I no longer care to hear anything you have to say. Step aside to let someone else do the talking for a while.

These kind of antics and tactics are best reserved for running for president. Your community getting equal rights is much more important than electing an elephant or jackass.