Freedom to Marry Day

Marriage is a Human Right

These are very interesting times. All over the world it seems, the desire for freedom, liberty, self-expression and self-fulfillment are being heard. In Tunisia, Iraq, Egypt, Iran, and as far away as Afghanistan, people are embracing the concept of freedom to give meaning to their lives, and hope to their dreams. The old expression, be careful what you ask for because you may get it seems appropriate here. Not many years ago the United States embarked on a military endeavor to depose a brutal dictator in Iraq, and hopefully replace despotic rule in that country with democracy. That effort shudders forward as we speak. It remains to be seen if democracy and liberty can or will take root in Iraq, a country tangled with sectarian adversaries, and generations-old hatreds.
And it remains to be seen if the concept of liberty and equality can or will take root right here in America, the home of the radical notion that "all men (and women) are created equal." It remains to be seen whether this nation will ever truly embrace the ideals on which it was founded, and bring the magnificent weight of law to bear on the inequity inherent in our civil marriage sanctions. At present many countries with reputations for human rights abuses, countries such as South Africa, have provisions for civil marriage equality. That's right, the United States of America is behind South Africa in human rights. By spreading the gospel of democracy abroad, it is coming home to America. Let's adopt the idea here, and make a giant leap toward that more perfect union we aspire to be. Marriage is not a heterosexual privilege; marriage is a human right.