It was said that when God created Adam he created a
helpmate, in which Adam named Eve. It was through this simple transaction that
Adam made the statement: “For this reason alone man shall leave his mother and
father and find a wife.” Thus, Adam created an institution that until recently
was defined as a union between a man and a woman.
On June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court made
the decision that the institution of marriage should be extended to include
same-sex couples. To many Americans,
especially evangelicals, the Supreme Court’s decision to pronounce gay marriage
as legal was a slap in their face as well as God’s. It is their belief that marriage is an
institution clearly defined in the Bible as a union between a man and a woman. Another union contrary to this definition, while
viewed as being equal, is seen as immoral. This is a theory of reasoning that I can
relate to as well.
As a young child, I was raised in a Black church where homosexuality
was seen as a major taboo. For those that practiced such a great sin were viewed
as people who had a rebellious nature against God’s essence. It was clearly defined by the church that marriage
was a union between a man and a woman and that the traditional family consists of
a mother and father. Anything outside of that perimeter was operating outside
of God’s will. This is something that has adhered to me since my childhood and into
adulthood; that homosexuality is wrong and those who practice it are doomed to
be cast into the lake of fire. The
church is not alone in their thinking, for there is an organization and a
senator who agree with this mindset. The Family Foundation stated this after
the Supreme Court decision was made public:
Following in their
belief is Senator Whitney Wisterfield:
“I disagree with the ruling and am disappointed that the Supreme Court
would create a new definition of family, rejecting what the citizens of this commonwealth
wrote into our Constitution. I am glad that the opinion noted that this is a ‘changed’
understanding of marriage, that religious institutions have a right to advocate
for the traditional definition of marriage, and I am glad that Kentucky's Religious
Freedom Restoration Act protects the beliefs of Kentuckians who disagree with
the Court…”
In the midst of this firestorm, I took it upon myself to
be present for the Supreme Court’s ruling. If you were wondering if supporters
of gay marriage were met with the same opposition that many of the Republican
Party presidential candidates have expressed to the
media, the answer is yes. However,
unlike the Republican Party presidential candidates who are in the majority of the
media, the opposition was a lonely number one! He is a pastor, and he agrees
with what has been stated by both The Family Foundation and Senator Whitney
Wisterfield. He feels that the
homosexual lifestyle being both accepted and practiced is the reason why we
have sexual transmitted diseases such as AIDS.
I found that to be disturbing for two reasons: 1) No one knows how AIDS
was created, and 2) I don’t feel that AIDS or any sexual transmitted disease is
God’s punishment for their lifestyle.
After
covering the opposition I decided to talk to the people that this decision will
affect the most, gay couples. I was able
to interview three gay couples about the court’s decision to legalize gay
marriage and the reason it is so important to them. Their general response to
the decision was that this will allow people to see them as normal people rather
than demons, sex-driven, or hell bound people, but decent human beings who desire
the same rights as everyone else. They further
explained that this decision vocalizes that their relationships not only
matter, but that they can live in their truth. It also opens up many doors that
were closed to them before, such as the right for any gay spouse to visit their
partner in the hospital, the ability to make medical decision for their spouse,
receiving benefits from life insurance or wills, or to simply be included on their
spouse’s death certificate.
After
covering the opposition I decided to talk to the people that this decision will
affect the most, gay couples. I was able
to interview three gay couples about the court’s decision to legalize gay
marriage and the reason it is so important to them. Their general response to
the decision was that this will allow people to see them as normal people rather
than demons, sex-driven, or hell bound people, but decent human beings who desire
the same rights as everyone else. They further
explained that this decision vocalizes that their relationships not only
matter, but that they can live in their truth. It also opens up many doors that
were closed to them before, such as the right for any gay spouse to visit their
partner in the hospital, the ability to make medical decision for their spouse,
receiving benefits from life insurance or wills, or to simply be included on their
spouse’s death certificate.
I
then proceeded to ask these couples what they believe has transformed the
church’s viewpoint on gays and gay marriage. One stated that when more and more
people started to come out, it caused people to say, hey this is my son, my daughter,
my cousin, my mother, my father, or a loved
one that has been a vital part of
my life. Am I going to cut them out of my life because they are gay? The answer
to that question was a resounding no. After hearing this explanation, I myself
started to reevaluate my stance on the issue, from what I was taught as a child
to what I believe in now as an adult. Don’t get me wrong, I still believe that
marriage is between a man and a woman, but I don’t believe that gay marriage is
a form nor a tool of destruction on the institution of marriage. Rather, I see it as the lawful expansion of
marriage that includes all individuals and not a specific group of chosen
people. This is what mimics our country’s founding principles: every man, woman,
and child have the right to the pursuit of happiness, liberty, and religious freedom
to believe what you want without the fear of being persecuted for your belief.
Reported by
Nadia Johnson
