Marriage is a Religious Not a Civil Right

With the November elections, we saw further evidence the greatest epidemic of social bigotry to occur during our generation. Three states, California, Arizona, and Florida adopted measures to ban same-sex marriages. In California, where marriage licenses have been issued to same-sex couples since June of last year, an estimated 18,000 married gay and lesbian couples are now worried about the status of their unions. Thirty states have now passed similar bans.

The question now becomes this: In an election year that saw such a strong movement toward progressive change, how did a measure like this pass. Part of the responsibility lies with president elect Barack Obama. According to one newspaper, abound 70 per cent of the African-American voters who overwhelmingly backed Mr Obama also approved Proposition 8. This constituency, however, is not solely responsible. The Obama campaign itself was very clear in stating that it did not support gay marriage. Joe Biden, when questioned on the issue, responded, “No, Barack Obama nor I support redefining, from a civil side, what constitutes marriage. We do not support that. That is basically a decision to be able to be left to the faiths and people who practice their faiths to determine what you call it.”

Biden has also said, “I think government should not be able to dictate to religions the definition of marriage, but I think, on a civil side, government has the obligation to strip away every vestige of discrimination as to what individuals are able to do in terms of their personal conduct.”

Officially, the Obama administration equal rights for same-sex couples, but maintains that marriage itself is a religious institution. But isn’t there a double standard here? The last time I checked, the state of Washington issued me a “Marriage License,” not a “Civil Union.” If marriage is a purely religious institution, then what right does the government have to issue marriage licenses at all?

I’m advocating a new policy. I believe that marriage is in fact a religious and not a civil right. I agree with Joe Biden that the government cannot define marriage for religions, and therefore I claim the government has no right to issue marriage licenses to anyone. Instead, let the government issue civil union licenses and let it leave marriage to people of faith.