A parting shot

Another friend of mine announced she's getting married in the next year. To be honest, since I met her, she's been looking for someone to marry. I have my own personal theories about this, but it probably wouldn't be prudent to expand on them here. Earlier this spring, another friend (who I thought would be the next to marry) moved away from his girlfriend to join the military, offering the prophetic words, "Never move in with a girl you aren't going to marry." I see less marriages in my future this year. Last year was a banner year for the ceremony in my life, I attended three. Two of which I was in the famed wedding party. And at one I gave the toast (nothing too special or elaborate‹I was pretty toasted). As far as I'm concerned, I don't need to get involved in any more any time soon, but I have, throughout the last few years, begun to understand why people get married.
The recent decision (overwhelming decision as they like to say) by Congress to effectively "outlaw" same-sex marriages is troubling me. I understand politics. I know that this is a "safe" thing for politicians to do. And I know that no one listens to the minority‹unless it's a large minority. But we're talking about a legal contract here, and excluding people the right to this legal contract. A marriage effectively allows a couple to enter into a financial union as one. Joint bank accounts, purchasing cars and houses and bears (oh my!), land holdings, and insurance. This is the basis of a legal marriage.
Love, caring, children, sex. All these things can be done outside of marriage. While all are legitimate reasons for getting married, what a marriage actually does has nothing at all to do with them. I guess this is where the moral issue comes in. There are some people (apparently an overwhelming majority) who feel that morally it is wrong for people of the same sex to get married. There are a smaller number of people who feel that people of the same sex shouldn't be together in a relationship or have sex, but, as I said, not as many feel this way. Somehow calling people married and calling people lovers are two different things‹morally.
In reality, this is a legal question and should be dealt with as such. Legally, everyone in this country should be allow to do the same things under the law as everyone else, regarless of race, sexual orientation or stupidity. There are age limits on some things and there used to be speed limits, but these have nothing to do with who you are.
Someone (and I don't have to name names) has mixed up personal morality (which everyone has the right to have) with legality. If you don't feel that people of the same sex should have the right to get married, that's fine. Don't get married to someone the same sex as yourself. But what you do inside your house is yours (excepting, of course, activities that infringe on others rights), what I do in mine you can just not worry the fuck about.
And just to save everyone mass pain and suffering, I don't plan to get married any time soon. So we can all breathe a sigh of relief and go on about our business. See ya in the funny pages...

Matt Worley
Editor of Lies

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