No matter how cynical you get, you're never cynical enough...
Remember the Defense of Marriage Act? That vile piece of legislation that was passed back in '96 by people terrified that The Gays would get married and thus bring about the apocalypse? Yeah, so do I. It was a fun day, that one. A poke in the eye with a sharp stick, as it were. But one would hope that now, thirteen years later, we might be slightly more mature, more secure in ourselves. With six states having legalized gay marriage (and not falling into sodomidic chaos) we might be able to laugh at our childish fears and behave more maturely, seeing that using legislation to deny certain rights to a certain class of people is inherently immoral, undemocratic and against the ideals of the America that we know and love.
Yeah, that's not gonna happen.
The Justice Department has come out in full and forceful defense of DOMA in an attempt to get a federal gay marriage case thrown out, claiming that it's perfectly constitutional, doesn't actually discriminate against same-sex couples, it's perfectly rational AND (tapping into the current economic climate) a big money-saver for the government. And as if this weren't disappointing enough, the brief throws a little lemon juice in the wound by comparing a state's right to reject a gay marriage performed in another state to incest and child brides.
I know the response that is coming: "Yes, but with everything that's going on today, do you really think that defending gay marriage should be at the top of Obama's To-Do list?" Honestly, no I don't. There are a lot of bigger issues going on right now. This goes beyond "not defending" gay marriage, however - that would be something passive. Just allowing the courts to hear their cases and not getting involved. This brief is in active opposition. It's an active defense of state-sponsored discrimination and effectively washing federal hands of the matter.
The only consolation I get is derived from Dan Savage's analysis of the recent Prop 8 decision in California: he looked at the vote results in 2008 compared with earlier anti-gay initiatives, and saw that the margin of victory has been steadily shrinking. That means that, eventually, DOMA will become irrelevant once enough states choose to legalize gay marriage. And that is certainly something to look forward to. But here and now, my government doesn't believe that I am worthy of the same rights and privileges as the straight majority. Here and now, my government takes the position that it's okay to discriminate against people like me. Here and now, my government has decided that it doesn't care about defending my equality under the law.
Here and now, I'm angry and disappointed.
But not surprised.
Time to write some letters....
Yeah, that's not gonna happen.
The Justice Department has come out in full and forceful defense of DOMA in an attempt to get a federal gay marriage case thrown out, claiming that it's perfectly constitutional, doesn't actually discriminate against same-sex couples, it's perfectly rational AND (tapping into the current economic climate) a big money-saver for the government. And as if this weren't disappointing enough, the brief throws a little lemon juice in the wound by comparing a state's right to reject a gay marriage performed in another state to incest and child brides.
I know the response that is coming: "Yes, but with everything that's going on today, do you really think that defending gay marriage should be at the top of Obama's To-Do list?" Honestly, no I don't. There are a lot of bigger issues going on right now. This goes beyond "not defending" gay marriage, however - that would be something passive. Just allowing the courts to hear their cases and not getting involved. This brief is in active opposition. It's an active defense of state-sponsored discrimination and effectively washing federal hands of the matter.
The only consolation I get is derived from Dan Savage's analysis of the recent Prop 8 decision in California: he looked at the vote results in 2008 compared with earlier anti-gay initiatives, and saw that the margin of victory has been steadily shrinking. That means that, eventually, DOMA will become irrelevant once enough states choose to legalize gay marriage. And that is certainly something to look forward to. But here and now, my government doesn't believe that I am worthy of the same rights and privileges as the straight majority. Here and now, my government takes the position that it's okay to discriminate against people like me. Here and now, my government has decided that it doesn't care about defending my equality under the law.
Here and now, I'm angry and disappointed.
But not surprised.
Time to write some letters....