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06/16/2008: "Goin' To The Chapel ..."

Well, they started marrying gay couples here in California today, and the world hasn't come to an end.

I think I'm like most people, in that this is a troubling issue for me. On one hand, I respect the right for anyone to fall in love with whomever they choose, and recognize that the state should have no right to stop them or discriminating against them for doing so. On the other hand, I just can't equate that relationship with a heterosexual marriage, when the plumbing just isn't being used the way it was designed.

To me, marriage isn't a right but rather a privilege; a social compact made with the state for the purpose of easing the financial burden associated with procreation. A driver's license is a similar contract of privilege, one which requires that you meet certain requirements to qualify - in this case, having reached 16 years in age. Similarly, marriage also has a pre-requisite - that you be a heterosexual couple - in order to qualify. A homosexual couple, no matter how stable or loving, simply cannot meet that requirement.

Of course, it's not as easy as all that. Over the years, the increase in technology and removal of social mores have diluted the definition. Many heterosexual couples are unable to create children - does that mean they are disqualified from marriage? At the same time, advances in fertility technology have made it possible for couples - including gay couples - to bear children. Does that make them eligible for marriage by the earlier definition? It's just not cut and dried.

Marriages are currently occuring, but the issue isn't fully resolved. There is an effort to place an initiative on the fall ballot that would clarify the definition and presumably nullify these new unions. We'll have to wait and see what happens next.

In the end, whether you agree or disagree, we can all wish for these new couples the same we'd want for any couple - happiness.