Getting Married to Marriage

After spending the better part of the past two decades making war on the institution of marriage, primarily through college curricula that has been hijacked by the Left, suddenly the gay activist community has joined the battle to protect it.

Or has it?

Recently we have heard much lauding of the institution of marriage by many of those who have traditionally trashed it. Now, they are saying that it is an important freedom, expression of love and commitment for building and sustaining families of many varieties. We have listened to how critical it is for gays to be protected by the constitution so they can enjoy equal access to medical and legal programs that are currently reserved only for married couples. And to be released from the social discrimination and hatred they feel is directly connected to being denied legal protections afforded by the institution of marriage. 

It has been a coarse social struggle.

Anything that venerates and encourages marriage is a good thing if we are to believe hundreds of studies that show marriage is an extremely important determinant for advancing education, steady employment, financial independence, and the protection and success of children. The evidence that marriage is the glue that holds civilized societies together is overwhelming.

So if we can get another expanding social demographic on board with promoting and supporting marriage that is also a good thing. If the homosexual community will actually recognize and actively support marriage between a man and a woman too, by putting it on a pedestal just as visible and activist as their crusade for gay marriage, then maybe this new version of marriage will turn out to be a good thing.

Working together, the married community can reduce divorce, domestic violence, child abuse, hunger, gang activity, homelessness, and many other social problems. Those who questioned the advisability of gay marriage may find some consolation in having a powerful activist partner in fighting off the forces that describe marriage as a chauvinistic institution that enslaves women, exploits the poor and indoctrinates children for the benefit of corporations.

Married couples need all the help we can get...

As I age, I have learned that what is counterintuitive is not always wrong. I have always embraced change when it is clearly advisable. Change is a natural thing, but making change just for the sake of change can be reckless. 

But it does little good to resist all change. The best we can do is evaluate what we know to be true, what we think would be improved based on our ancestral experience, while incorporating recent knowledge we have acquired. 

We will only know if modern social engineering changes were proper when they are reviewed by posterity. History will have to judge our results. When it comes to drastically reworking social constructs that have survived hundreds of years of scrutiny and evolution, we should proceed cautiously.

Then, and only then, we leap into the future with faith in our nobility and intentions, tempered by our commitment to intelligent management of our civilization so it can be counted on to provide peace and stability for our children. It is fair to say that condoning gay marriage is a very big leap. As a worldwide phenomenon, institutionalizing gay marriage is as big a civilized change as we have seen since the emancipation of women.

As married couples regardless of our sexual orientation, we should all be committed to preserving and promoting the institution of marriage, just as strongly as we seek equality and justice.

I hope we can count on gay couples to join the effort.