The now global social issues(s) of gender discrimination, same-sex marriage and sexual orientation are not going away. Especially in the West!
And I just happened to be in New York City, New York over a year ago when the New York State government negotiated just enough votes to legalise same-sex marriage in that State. And for even those not too concerned with such goings-on, the new law and its implications held centre-stage in the collective mind of millions in the sixth and now largest of the American States to “bless” such unions.
Since I had essayed a return to related concerns and the role of Guyana’s SASOD in promoting and protecting GLBT rights, it was easy to decide to share with you some of the intrigue, drama, colour, triumph and despair surrounding the marriage-equality vote in New York.
Why? Because, this is a social issue that won’t go away, worldwide, including Guyana. Because the legal permission given to and by New York’s government is both symbolic and symptomatic, but in a very practical sense, in terms of the altering of centuries of human institutions and perhaps humanity itself. And because, naturally, the New York law also speaks to the challenge to longstanding religious teachings and traditions, even exposing (the usual) contradictions in the Christian Church.
GOD’S OWN CHILDREN, GAYS…
To me, whilst there, it was obvious that the issue generated four main elements: religious/moralistic, human/ civil rights, politics and economics.
I share the religious, moralistic implications first. When they talk CHRISTIANITY and Bible here, I sense they’ve speaking “older generation” mainly. The Christian-minded New Yorkers called numerous programmes to remind of the Bible’s teaching about man-woman relationships, about marriage and about why Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by God’s wrath. And the New York Roman Catholic Bishop expressed outrage at the legislation. Even though one of them- Archbishop Dolan– was constrained to apologise and explain (afterwards) that he had “nothing” against the Gay community and loved them as God’s children; he was however, he said, mindful and protective of the Church’s concept of marriage.
(The Bishops still held that the “marriage-equality” law “Is another nail in the coffin of marriage”, and that the State had no right to tamper with something so timeless and sacred to the human condition).
Poor Bishops. When traditional, purist Christians supported their position (a la Romans Chap. 2), others called in to quote Bible scripture which pointed to actual homosexual relationships amongst respected Bible characters and which also allegedly represented marriage as a mere convenience for “the sharing of property” (read Abraham and Samuel). Poor Bible!
Moral values have changed drastically globally. Human rights now often threaten to compromise responsibilities to be decent about those freedoms. The impact of same-sex marriages on the current generation under twenty-one, remains to be appreciated (scientifically). And even as I was grappling with whether the NY politicians were really representing their constituencies’ preferences in terms of Man’s law vis-à-vis God’s law, reliable polls showed a majority of New Yorkers approved of the new form of marriage. Just where do we go from here? (Read my (outrageous?) conclusion below).
THE BOTTOM LINE? WHAT NEXT?
Both the Roman Catholic State Governor and NYC Mayor Bloomberg were also mindful of the new law’s positive impact on the State’s financial bottom line.
Bloomberg was openly direct: “It’s good for the economy!” More marriages, more taxes, more tourists for matrimony. Gays, lesbians, and bisexuals are in vital positions in New York’s government and commerce; they wield authority and influence. Now, legally gay couples will enjoy rights related to inheritance, to healthcare benefits, even hospital visitation and funeral closures. New York’s economy will also enjoy income.
But what’s next? Whether in New York or Guyana, massive education and behavioural change will have to flow from such legislation. And don’t ever think me facetious or ridiculous when I say that it is possible, say fifty years from now, that some persons may demand laws to allow them to marry their favourite cat, dog, or donkey! Discuss…
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