I never understood the arguments against gay marriage. What’s the big deal? My wife and I will be married thirty-two years in October and we both agree that anyone crazy enough to want to get married in this day and age should be allowed to do so.

Why should gays be denied the misery of matrimony like the rest of us? It’s a clear case of discrimination.

Then again, the divorce rate in this country is still close to fifty percent. I wish them the best of luck.

Even though I don’t necessarily recommend it, there are still a lot of practical reasons to get married today. Matters of shared personal finances, legal authority, dependents and next of kin determinations are imperative in any long-term relationship. For many gay couples, these issues become far more complex.

The debate over the legal definition of marriage raged for many years until the Supreme Court’s historic decision last month which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

Most of the ongoing arguments against marriage equality are based on Biblical scripture. Religious dogma is the main reason why people object to the idea of gay marriages and ‘non-traditional’ families. Their primary motivation is their fear that the fabric of society will somehow unravel if gays are allowed to marry.

They are frightened and confused by the modern world, and for some reason they feel it is their duty to impose their narrow-minded, intolerant beliefs on the rest of humanity.

Opponents of gay marriage always say they just want to protect the ‘sanctity’ of the union between one man and one woman. They believe the institution of marriage is somehow under attack.

A small group of wealthy conservatives have managed to use their power and political clout to back up their apocalyptic paranoia with legislation. This clique of well-connected religious zealots recognized the ideological importance of trying to impose their morality on American society long before gay marriage became a major issue.

Back in 1995, Hawaii was on the verge of becoming the first state in the union to legalize same-sex marriages. Congress enacted the ‘Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)’ in 1996 in response to that imminent threat. DOMA denied the rights of same-sex couples in thousands of federal laws, programs and benefits. The legislation easily passed both houses of Congress and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996.

Former president Clinton and other key lawmakers have since reversed their positions on DOMA; most of them now advocate repealing the act.

Ultimately, any attempt to limit marriage exclusively to couples of the opposite sex boils down to a lack of respect for the US Constitution. The First Amendment’s Establishment Clause requires that the government “…Shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”

It requires that all laws and government policies have a secular purpose.

America is home to millions of non-Christians and even atheists, God forbid; I know some of them personally. Why should those people have to suffer the consequences of something they don’t even believe in? Legally defining marriage in a strictly conservative, Christian religious context clearly favors the beliefs of one religion over all others. That’s an unconstitutional slam-dunk!

Duh.

Reverend Barry W. Lynn, Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, summed it up best: “All people who are willing to accept the rights and responsibilities of a long-term commitment deserve equal treatment under our Constitution no matter what job they do, no matter what state they live in, no matter who they love.”