(...)
A year after the Supreme Court struck down anti-miscegenation laws across the country in 1967, a Gallup poll revealed that 73 percent were still against mixed-race marriages. If a ballot measure could overturn a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, we'd still be arguing about blacks and whites marrying one another. Putting the rights of a minority up for majority vote is never a good idea. This is what you come up with — division, continuing hatred, and millions of dollars and valuable human effort being wasted on ballot measures meant to keep a minority down. Sometimes the law must be the law, whether the majority agrees or not.
African-Americans and women enjoy their civil rights now, but that doesn't mean the majority like it — but they must abide by the law, or else. Gay and lesbian rights should be enjoying the same protection from the tyranny of the masses, but, for some reason, we've arrived at a place in history where we don't want "activist judges" (like those in Loving v. Virginia) forcing us to be nice to and accepting of one another.
The hypocrisy of what happened in Maine is being overlooked by everyone, especially the mainstream media. While a majority of Mainers were voting to strip rights from their fellow citizens, the good folks in Ohio were voting to legalize another form of immorality: gambling. That same One News Now story that gleefully reports that queers were put back in their place yet again, noted this without comment.
In Ohio, voters approved a measure that will allow casinos in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo. Four similar measures had been defeated in recent years, but this time the state's reeling economy gave extra weight to arguments that the new casinos would create thousands of jobs.
Where, may I ask, is the outrage at this little piece of immorality getting passed? I have scoured the newspapers in Ohio looking for the religious outrage that four casinos will now be built around that state. What did I find? Zip. Nada. Nothing. There are no special religious outfits fighting against this measure – no out-of-state money – no religious rallies condemning the evils of gambling – no fear-mongering television ads or public preaching against how gambling tears families apart and leads to other forms of immorality. Zero.
(...)
The gay and lesbian community needs to pay attention. When the masses are hurting for money and jobs, their "moral" convictions and religious ferver are the first babies to be tossed with the bathwater. The good news for the gay and lesbian community is this: we have proof – studies – that show that marriage equality would be a boon to the economy.
A recent study concluded that marriage equality in Vermont would bring the state $3.3 million in revenue over three years.
But, that's not all. The study found that jobs could be created as well:
The weddings of same-sex couples will generate new economic activity for the state's businesses:
Spending by resident same-sex couples on their weddings and by out-of-state couples on tourism and their weddings will boost Vermont's economy by $30.6 million in direct spending over the next three years. Over the next three years, the direct spending by resident and out-of-state same-sex couples will create approximately 700 new jobs in Vermont. (...)
http://www.religiondispatches.org/blog/sexandgender/1999/want_marriage_equality_show_me_the_money!__Excellent perspectives on marriage equality.
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