Today a relative and his long-term companion were finally able to get legally married in Indiana. How exciting and joyous this news is! I can hardly sit still today, I am so excited!
Allowing ANYONE to get married - civil unions - has been a long time coming, and though there will probably be bumps along the way, there would seem to be a growing acceptance of the variety of ways human beings may express love and commitment as a civil right. I am very content to know that this is finally happening.
I've often wondered how people can say such awful things about the ways in which people are different from one another. I can't say I understand how one way is simply the right one, and another is deemed not. I do understand that some cry out for religious reasons, but I would argue their indignation comes from fear, not religious zeal. How does being homosexual affect someone else anymore than my green eyes do? That is what it boils down to for me.
And if one believes in hell, what difference does it make if a group of people go there rather than heaven? And why is it up to one group of people to decide what is the right way to get there and which is not? Believe what you want to believe of course, and you should be free to express it. It does not mean that your expression should infringe on others beliefs. Isn't that why so many came to this country in the first place? To escape persecution?
I wonder how being homosexual, asexual, heterosexual, transgender, or any other label really impacts others. It isn't like one group recruits for another after all, and what someone chooses to do with another consenting adult in the privacy of their own homes is of no business of mine. I find that there are wonderful, creative, thoughtful, spiritual, caring, loving, energetic people in all walks of life, in a variety of human forms that seem to have little to do with their sexual orientation. Being a good person, father, mother, sister, brother, friend, colleague, or partner is an expression of the heart and soul of a person. Who we are should be judged by the way in which we treat others in this world in my book. That is the way I would prefer to be evaluated, so why would I not believe all people should be evaluated by what is in their hearts and actions in this world?
I have known people in my life that are just awful human beings. We were talking about a few today, and I wondered aloud to my husband why these middle-aged women in particular thought it was alright to be rude, mean - and really in some ways bullying - to the 21-year old me. I forgave them long ago, but I trust the universe has plans for their past behaviors. They do not fall in the group I mentioned above, but they went to church every Sunday and were heterosexual. And awful human beings at the time.
These are all random thoughts, and I am rambling I suppose, already defensive about my happiness for two people we love. My point is we are each given a life and we have to navigate our way through the world. For some of us, we are given privilege and rights simply by being born with various abilities, a certain color, gender, sexual-orientation, or socio-economic status that others are not. I would hope that each of us would take a minute to think about the ways we might have advantages that others have never had as a result of these things. These are not rights - they are a result of our birth, not a choice. Holding onto those privileges seems to be the focus of our society rather than acceptance, tolerance, and love. Those are the values I thought were most important.
Brings me back to this happy day. Two people I love dearly were finally given the opportunity to marry each other and declare their commitment in public. They are a great couple, and each makes the other a better person when they are together. They have someone to share the day with, their joys and sorrows with and that should be what everyone has the opportunity to have in their lives. I have shed a few tears of joy today thinking of the day they were finally able to have together. We love them dearly, and hope that others will be just as happy for them as we are!
