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A War on Marriage?
The US
Senate is poised to vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment next
week. This Amendment is designed by its promoters to “protect
marriage” from gays and lesbians by defining marriage as a legal
union between one man and one woman. However, in addition to this
simple language, Section 2 of this amendment also prohibits the
courts from having jurisdiction on this matter, thus attempting to
exempt this particular issue from the system of checks and balances
established in our constitution.
Even if one
agrees with the basic premise of this amendment, one has to
acknowledge that it is based on a false dichotomy, and as such is
inherently flawed. [1] Failure to acknowledge the very real gender
variations that Humans come in will discriminate against those who
don’t fit neatly into the false “male/female” dichotomy through no
fault of their own and will force this matter into the courts,
regardless of the language restricting such oversight. After all,
someone will have to “judge” whether certain individuals qualify as
male or female under this law, since those terms are left undefined
by the proposed amendment.
The
religiously extreme American Family Association is organizing a
“Marriage Protection Sunday” to lobby for what it is calling the
most important vote this year." Human Rights organizations and
liberal religious organizations are organizing to lobby against
passage. Even though there are arguably more important matters
facing our country this issue is now center stage.
Questions for
the Guest
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Why is this
bill flawed?
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How does
this bill discriminate based on gender?
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How will the
courts respond to this attempt to limit their jurisdiction?
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What is the
Humanist position on Gay Marriage?
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Is the
religious right blaming Humanists for this “problem” as well?
About the
Humanists of Florida Association Founded in 1986, The Humanists of
Florida Association is a statewide association of groups and
individuals that affirm the Humanist worldview. Humanism is a
progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism,
affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of
personal fulfillment that aspires to the greater good of humanity.
Humanism is the philosophy rightly held responsible for the Gay
Rights movement by the religious right. |
