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  1. Final Crazy Rantings Regarding Same-Sex Marriage

    April 11, 2013 by Francis Flores

    I’m actually quite sad that this is the last civic issues blog for the year. It took a fair amount of time (approximately 2 hours) to decide what it is I wanted to write about. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to end with another story, or if I should go over the article about the Prop 8 debates, or even if I should talk about the Westboro Baptist Church (something I haven’t talked about in depth). After everything, though, I decided to go with a mixture of the last two.

    Now, don’t get me wrong, I know that not all people who believe strongly in their religion are against same-sex marriage, but it’s the radicals like the people of the Westboro Baptist Church that gives them a bad name. When I was doing research for previous blog posts, I came across their website, one of their websites, anyway. Their website is titled godhatesfags.com. I wish I was lying. When I first saw the URL, I thought it was a parody of their real website, but after about an hour and a half of just surfing their website, I came to the sick realization that this was in fact their real website. I would include the actual link to take you to the website, but I just don’t have it in me. Honestly, I don’t see how their religious beliefs should have such a strong impact on something that isn’t going to hurt them. They use the Bible for justification, but the Bible was also used to justify slavery. It really goes both ways, and why gay marriage is still illegal in some states absolutely baffles me. For a place that’s known for equality and freedom, no one is really equal.

    That’s my WBC rant. Here are other reasons I’ve heard that gay couples shouldn’t marry.

    1. “It would redefine and undermine traditional marriage!”
    2. “The only way to have a child is to have one man and one woman.”
    3. “If you allow them to marry, where does it stop?”
    4. Here’s my personal favorite: “This will let children think it’s okay to be gay!”

    Here are my counterarguments, or rants, whatever they turn out to be.

    1. Wow, okay. If we were really to be going off of what “traditional marriage” is, then women would still be considered property and interracial couples would not be allowed to marry. As for undermining marriage? The things that are undermining marriage, and this is just my opinion, is divorce and short, glorified, celebrity marriages. I’m not even going to begin with those (I’m looking at you, Kim Kardashian). In the year 2011, 41% of “first” marriages ended in divorce.1 It’s insulting that someone could have a first, second, third marriage while claiming that because two people of the same sex are in love, they shouldn’t be allowed the same rights to marriage as they are. Bravo.
    2. This is one of my favorite arguments. I was actually watching a video2 and someone said this. I know that it is a true statement, but to use it as a reason to not allow someone to be married is harsh. Honestly, I laughed out loud when I watched this video, not because it was funny, but because I couldn’t wrap my head around some of the stuff that he said, including this. Like I said, yes, this statement is true, but it doesn’t affect the way the population grows or decreases. People will continue to procreate at their own rate and life will go on.
    3. This is actually a paraphrase of something someone said. Yes, believe it. It actually broke my heart when I found out it was Jeremy Irons (the voice of Scar in “The Lion King”) who, in an interview said “Could a father not marry his son?” The fact that he actually thinks that same-sex marriage could lead into any kind of incest-type relationship, is extremely insulting. It isn’t even remotely close. As if that wasn’t insulting enough, he then states “Living with another animal, whether it be a husband or a dog, is great… It’s lovely to have someone to love. I don’t think sex matters at all.”3 Wow, okay, so I guess they’re animals, too. Jeremy Irons, you murdered my childhood with this statement, and I don’t know if I can ever forgive you. That is all.
    4. This one is the best. Allowing the children to think it’s okay is fine. Do you know why? Because it is! I think that instead of teaching children to have such narrow-minded and self-righteous views on what you think is right and wrong, you should allow them to think for themselves and have their own opinions. Take my mom for example. Yes, my mom and I absolutely butt heads on this topic because, no surprise, she doesn’t agree with this idea either, but she lets me believe what I want to. Plus, what if your child happens to be gay? Could you even imagine the kind of pain he (or she) would go through knowing that their parents hated everything about his (or her) lifestyle? It’s the same thing as bullying.

    I tried to choose arguments that weren’t religiously connected, so I hope I did a decent job. Not all religious groups are radical. Not everyone is close-minded. But this is a friendly reminder that, unfortunately, some people are. I hope you enjoyed this post. Sorry if it’s a bit long. Thank you for reading and remember, love is love.

    Category Best Of, Civic Issues | Tags: ,,,, | 2 Comments

  2. Civic Issues: Chipotle, Polls, and the Equality House

    March 21, 2013 by Francis Flores

    Wow, okay, so I am particularly heated for no reason at all, but I will try to keep this tame for everyone’s sake. You’re welcome. This week I’ll be talking about three fairly controversial topics. They will probably get angrier as I progress, but I’ll avoid that as much as possible. I chose the first one because of an article that I read a while back about the Boy Scouts, the second one because of the progress, and the third one because of the activism.

    The first thing I noticed when I logged into the Huffington Post today was the story about Chipotle refusing sponsorship of a Utah Boy Scout’s event. Why did they cancel this sponsorship? Chipotle did not agree with Boy Scout’s ban on the admittance of lesbian and gay members. At first, they were going to continue on with the event, but as soon as LGBT rights activists heard of this, they wrote letters to Chipotle saying that it went against their own policy on supporting “’organizations that discriminate against a person or a group on the basis of age, political affiliation, race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief.’”1 Because of the pressure they were receiving from advocates, the spokes-people of Chipotle were forced to reevaluate their decision, and they chose to retract their sponsorship. I think it’s hard to go back on your word, but I think it’s honorable that they didn’t disregard their own beliefs. At the risk of sounding redundant, yes, the Chipotle probably did this to save face, but it is in accordance with their policy and if they don’t believe in that statement, how could anyone else?

    Another thing I saw on the Huffington Post (which is where I find most of these things, by the way), was an article about how personal relationships affect support. After reading the article and finding that the support for gay marriage has increased, I was still not as happy as I thought I would be. Senator Rob Portman, from Ohio, recently announced his support for gay marriage after finding out his son was gay, but he had been a devoted advocate against gay marriage for the past two years.2 On one hand, he fought against this cause for so long and now because someone he is close to has come out as gay, he now wants to offer support. That seems kind of superficial. It makes it look like a statement on his own character. On the other hand, he now supports the community he has fought against. Beliefs change and it took the love of a father to see that.

    This last topic will be hard for me to talk about because of my feelings for the Westboro Baptist Church. You know, the ones who picketed soldiers’ funerals and have such a strong hatred for the gay community?  I won’t even get started on them, for your sake. Anyway, I actually saw this before I read the article on the Huffington Post. I saw this on Imgur and Tumblr, and my boyfriend sent me a link from Reddit. The idea of this was absolutely marvelous. This man is a genius. Aaron Jackson, from the Planting Peace group, purchased a house directly across from the WBC and decided that the best way to make a statement against their harsh actions towards everything, especially the gay community, was to paint the house the colors of the Gay Pride Flag. He called this the Equality House and wants to use it to “’raise awareness and capital, and we want to put all that money into creating and sustaining anti-bullying programs, along with supporting anti-bullying programs that already exist.’”3 When I first saw the pictures all over the internet, I was so amazed by the braveness and love that this guy, group, exudes. It’s a great idea that portrays exactly what they had hoped: “Where there is hate, there is love.”

    Reading this articles helped me to see that there is a move for progress and it helps me to have some sort of faith that this community will have success. I know I seem pushy and almost preachy when I get on this topic, but it’s only because I know how it affects people. I have loved ones who feel ostracized by their own peers and family, and the fact that people are changing their minds and are being supported in unlikely places give me hope that the people I know are struggling now won’t have to struggle their whole lives. Well, that’s my rant for the week. Thanks for reading.

     

    *Also, if you wanted to donate to the Planting Peace Group’s Fundraiser, you can click here.*

    Category Civic Issues | Tags: ,,,,,,,, | 1 Comment

  3. Civic Issues: What exactly is DOMA?

    February 14, 2013 by Francis Flores

    Hello, everyone! So for this post, I’m going to explain DOMA a little bit because a section of it is going to be looked over this March. DOMA is the “Defense of Marriage Act” and it was passed in 1966 by Congress. “It has two main functions. First, it prevents the federal government from recognizing any marriages between gay or lesbian couples for the purpose of federal laws or programs, even if those couples are considered legally married by their home state. Second, it makes it so that individual states do not legally have to acknowledge the relationships of gay and lesbian couples who were married in another state. Only the section that deals with federal recognition is being currently challenged in court.”1 The particular section that has been brought up has to do with the recognition of same-sex marriage (more on that in a bit!), and it has proved fairly controversial. Along with the many others that argue against DOMA because it is discriminatory to a large community, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics and Washington argue that it allows certain loopholes for gay politicians, using, for example, anti-nepotism laws that heterosexual politicians must follow.2 Personally, I think that DOMA is discriminatory because there is no real reason that anyone is benefitting from not allowing them to be married, but I digress because I already ranted about that last time I posted.

    On a happier note, I have related news that made the headlines today in the United States (and then one from Europe that made headlines a few days ago just for fun)!

    The first one that happened today was that ILLINOIS APPROVED THE BILL TO LEGALIZE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. Why am I so excited if it doesn’t affect me directly? Because it’s a step towards progress, acceptance, and equality. Upon discussing why the Senate chose Valentine’s Day to cast the vote, he stated that it was “scheduled on the holiday to celebrate love to disguise what is truly a devaluing of traditional marriage.”3 Another large part of this legalization was due to the fact that same-sex coalitions protested in what is called “Freedom to Marry Week,” in which they requested marriage licenses in “18 places around the country, including a number of states where same sex-marriage is not legal.”4

    In another part of the United States, Virginia to be specific, as a part of a “Witness for Marriage” protest, 3 couples applied for marriage licenses in Arlington. All three of them were denied. One pastor David Ensign remarked, “A license to marry the one you love, the one to whom you made promises of faithfulness and love. It is way past time to change the law,” and after, he thanked the couples for stepping forward and being brave for a cause that they felt so strongly for.5

    Oh man, oh man. Two good things in one day. Valentine’s Day really is a day of love for everyone. I can’t wait for the day when we can proudly say that we are equal and truly mean it.

     

     

    **Extra story: Earlier this month, the French parliament approved gay marriage, and after a couple weeks of debate, as of February 13, 2013, the entire law passed. Congrats!**

    Category Best Of, Civic Issues | Tags: ,,,, | 2 Comments

  4. Civic Issues: DOMA and Same-Sex Marriage

    January 24, 2013 by Francis Flores

    Oh, man. Oh, MAN. I am so excited for this civic issues blog. I’m not so thrilled that it has to be so long, but at least I get to write about something that I’m so interested in. I guess I could give a brief backstory as to why I chose this topic. My goal isn’t to force something that I believe in onto other people because I don’t think that’s okay. I believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but I also believe that if you’re going to hold your own pinions so strongly, it’s important to hear other opinions as well. Over the course of this semester, my main goal for this blog is to shine a light on what other people may think of a certain aspect of same-sex marriage and refute it. It’s important to hear (or, in this case, read) two completely different opinions on this topic.

    As of right now, in the United States, same-sex marriage is legal in Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Washington, and Washington D.C.; however, 31 states have constitutional amendments banning gay marriage and 6 states have laws banning gay marriage altogether.1 The ratio of the two is actually appalling. For a nation that prides itself in equality and freedom, there sure are certain restrictions on something that should not be seen as a legal obligation. You could make the argument that people would be in an uproar: religious groups and family organizations (most likely tied to religious groups) would be in an uproar, but here’s the kicker—the first amendment clearly states a separation between church and state.2 Not only are these people not allowed to marry, but the majority aren’t allowed to adopt children, or even donate blood.

    Do you see the problem now? There are so many gay individuals today that have so many problems with just being themselves. It’s harder for them to accept themselves because of the judgments that people are so quick to make. Not only is this harder on the youth, but it’s harder for the parents to accept. They don’t want their children to be faced with the problem of being ridiculed just by being who they are, so they find it easier to be just as unaccepting as everyone else can be. I know so many people who are afraid to “come out of the closet” because of the harsh words and actions that society is capable of.

    As this blog progresses, I’m going to touch on a specific story pertaining to same-sex marriage, and then tell another anecdote of something I might have seen on the internet, whether it’s a picture or an article.

    Side-note: This next part is just me ranting because I’m just too into this topic. Feel free to ignore. Sorry.

    Why same-sex marriage is so unaccepted will forever remain a mystery to me. Love is love is love is love. The definition of “love” isn’t: a feeling of strong affection and personal attachment between a man and woman. No. There is no real definition of love because different people love differently.

    Category Civic Issues | Tags: ,,,,, | 2 Comments

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