I wrote the following on February 14, Valentine's Day,
and sent it to some members of the Indiana Congress
along with a copy to the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette.
It was printed in the "Letter to the Editor" section
of the Journal-Gazette on Sunday, February 25, 2007.

 

 

SJR 7 - the Discrimination Amendment

 

The Marriage Discrimination Amendment is aptly named, as it is truly an amendment of discrimination. It says to the people of Indiana that we are equal, as long as we are not Gay, or old and can't afford to get married and lose various benefits.

 

It says that we are equal if we believe in a conservative religious view, rather than laws that protect against discrimination of any kind against any group of citizens.

 

Our laws were put in place to PROTECT people, not to enforce religious views or be used to dismiss or punish people by saying they are NOT equal and cannot have the same rights and protections as others.

 

Under current Indiana law, most every kind of person can get married, except Gays and Lesbians. Murders can be married, people with mentaldefeciencies can be married. Anyone that is over 18 and has the money for a license can get married... except Gays and Lesbians. Even minors, who are NOT old enough to drink, buy a car, or sign for a bank loan, can get married with parental consent.

 

And the reason Gays and Lesbians can not marry? Because some people believe it is against the Bible's teachings. It is their right to believe that. However, it is not their right to force their religious beliefs onto the rest of us in a country founded on Freedom of Religion. Freedom of Religion means I have the right to have different beliefs, and as long as I do NOT hurt anyone, I can follow those beliefs.

 

Some people claim that Gay Marriage would hurt the institution of marriage. But I strongly disagree. What hurts the institution of marriage is people that treat marriage like they do buying a car. If they change their mind, they trade it in. It is hurt by the fact that the heterosexual people that are currently allowed to marry have a 50% divorce rate because they don't take their vows seriously enough to do the hard work it takes to have a rewarding, committed relationship.

 

There is nothing about Gay Marriage that would hurt the institution of marriage. That is just an excuse to rationalize and justify out and out discrimination against a group of people that may not follow strict, conservative religious beliefs.

 

It is time that the Indiana Congress quit using excuses to justify discrimination, and put fairness first. The laws are to protect all of us, not just the conservatives.

 

Do NOT use our Indiana Constitution to discriminate against it's own citizens. Use it to protect them, as it was originally meant.

 

Do the right thing and vote against the Marriage Discrimination Amendment.

 

Gregory Crawford