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Originally published in the Houston Chronicle, February 26, 2004 and republished here with permission from author Bush has lost this Republican's
vote
The question is, does this action truly represent Bush's principles, or is he just pandering for votes in an increasingly competitive campaign? Maybe he's not considering the families that he is hurting -- families of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgendered people, and the families they create. Bush is invalidating these family ties and making them or their sons and daughters second-class citizens, not eligible to share the full promise of this country. Gay Americans should receive the same treatment, the same benefits and the same protections that all other citizens enjoy. When the president of the United States expresses that a religious view of civil marriage should cause us to consider the removal of civil rights from a group of citizens, the attainment of equality for all has taken several steps back. There are millions waiting to take part in marriage, but in the last 40-plus years, the institution Bush wants protected has been eroded by access to the Pill, no-fault divorce and couples choosing not to marry. None of this erosion happened because of gays. It's an institution that was broken by those already given access. Still, the fact that gays and lesbians would want to take part in that institution should attest to its endurance, strength and importance to society. Religious definitions of marriage are untouched by opening civil marriage to all couples, regardless of gender. Churches and other religious organizations can still marry people using the tenets of their faith. Inclusiveness in civil marriage will allow all Americans to be able to benefit from stable relationships, and committed partners, something Bush has already stated is an important to the health of our society. It is argued that the proposed amendment would still allow states to provide civil unions for same-sex couples. Civil unions are not the solution to equality; they are the same as segregation was in our schools. Trying to provide a semblance of the same rights through creation of a wholly separate set of partner benefits allows jurisdictions to pick and choose from the rights, privileges and responsibilities of marriage. The language of the proposed amendment is designed to take away any possibility that gay citizens would have their relationships recognized. Bush states that the voice of the people must be heard, but he presents a draconian plan to work to stop any state from using its sovereignty to decide this issue, and create true, public discourse of the issue. This amendment would actually trump the checks and balances our society has created to respect both the rights of the individual, and work for the common good, issues that do not always result in the most popular decisions, but have strengthened this nation. I'm a citizen who can't share fully the same rights and protections that others receive, simply because of whom I would have a relationship with. My relationship may be invalidated by the courts, my partner or I may be prevented hospital visitations, and our wills may be contested by others. Married couples take this and more for granted. No one should ever be told that their love isn't up to governmental standards. The president has stated that he is a uniter, not a divider; and yet, Bush plays the same politics of class warfare, intolerance, prejudice and fear that any other candidate does. One would hope that a politician would rise above such petty tactics as supporting a divisive measure that hurts Americans and drives them to a second-class status, trying to sweep them back into the closets, all to pander to a group of voters who support this discrimination. I have hopes that a president, charged to uphold the Constitution, would understand that the Constitution represents all of the people, not just those who are his voting base. Unfortunately, I no longer have that faith in Bush, and I cannot support him this fall. He may want to consider the loss of my vote, and the loss of other votes of gay Americans who supported him last election. I cannot, and will not vote for a candidate who so blatantly supports discrimination, whether that discrimination directly affects me or not. When Bush endorses discrimination, when he decides that people's loving relationships are invalid, when he denies that all citizens should be able to share the American Dream, America loses.
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