???New York State has a long history of fighting for equal rights. The state has gone from being the seat of Susan B. Anthony's women's suffrage movement to the home of the N.A.A.C.P. The latest on the list of progressive acts is joining Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts in allowing same sex marriage.
???The timing of the announcement by Gov. David A. Paterson is intriguing, as New York's new archbishop, Timothy Dolan, has openly spoken out against gay marriage. The governor, a Catholic, has said that this is a civil government and religious organizations can make their own rules as to what constitutes a marriage but the state is separate and must treat all people equally under the law.
???The crux of the issue is how marriage is viewed. In this country, it's a constant pull back and forth on who gets to decide how marriage is defined. Looking across the Atlantic and following our European cousins, only a handful of countries actually allow same sex marriages.
???America's foundation of government was written on the premise that there is a distinct separation of church and state. Religious influences should not be allowed to manipulate civil acknowledgement.
???This is not saying it should be shoved down people's throats or that they must approve. No one has the explicit right to say how another person should live or act. We have protocol in the law that prevents anyone from being treated as a second-class citizen.
???This is no doubt a touchy subject for all facets of society. In our constitution, part of the 14th Amendment states that no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of laws.
???The debate doesn't end there; however, discussing gay marriage comes with fringe issues such as adoption. There is no question that the government should care about the children. But, the bigger threat children face in today's society is poverty, not whether or not they have two mommies or daddies.
???Any discussion on children first and foremost should be about better health care and education. How about offering better family income to provide more for kids and decreasing exposure to violence? Banning gay marriage doesn't do any of this.
???If there is a discussion about the sanctity of marriage in this country as a sacred institution, it needs to include the threat of publicized brief marriages. Celebrities who have wed for mere weeks imply that marriage should only last as long as excitement does. Nobody is calling for federal intervention into Britney Spears's life.
???The federal government must stand up and acknowledge the question of civil vs. religious authority. If it does not, then the era of heated debate on same-sex marriage will continue.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
