| Davina's Delicacies |
| Here Come the Brides |
| by Davina Blair |
Thousands of marriage ceremonies are in the works as England gives the green light to same-sex marriage whilst religious Americans up the ante to keep gays as second -class citizens.
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Well, it has finally happened. After several months of quibbling, the U.K. is allowing same-sex couples to jump the broom. The winter solstice will bring gay honeymooners from all over the world to the land of the Beetles, Jaguars and fashionable royalty. Among the future newlyweds are Sir Elton John and his betrothed; the tabloids are certain to have a field day with that one - and Sir John, with his eye-catching sense of style, will not disappoint. Time is running short as there are less than two weeks before the first of the nuptials. Gay wedding planners are capitalizing on the firestorm of weddings by helping couples navigate the traditional aspects of the marriage ceremony such as the wedding procession and the bachelor(ette) party.
Barring the return of the dark ages, gay wedding rites will eventually gain as much respect as our current rites of matrimony when more people become enlightened about the different forms of love and its making. England and Denmark had already made that leap, now married gay couples are seamlessly integrated into the societal tapestry. Perhaps when there are 12 billion people crammed on the planet, we will be thanking their lucky stars that the gay population did not cave into peer pressure, marry an opposite-sex partner and reproduce.
Meanwhile, on our side of the pond, the situation does not look very promising as the First Amendment continues to be shattered by the Religious Right. If a gay couple married in England and moved back to the states, MSNBC says:
“For the purposes of citizenship, hospital visitation rights, pensions, inheritance taxes and entitlement to most parental rights — the United States government will not recognize their union.” Just recently, New York and Massachusetts outlawed gay marriage after much pressure from conservative traditionalists. Frankly, I do not see what the big deal is. Loving couples want to be married andare willing to accept the privileges and restrictions that matrimony entails. I’ve heard of longtime partners unable to speak for each another because of the interference of hostile family members. Also, if a gay person is arrested for a crime, a partner could be compelled to testify against him or her in a court of law: something legally married couples would never have to do. While this is hardly a comprehensive list of the oppressions that gay couples are forced to endure, I believe I have highlighted some of the more important issues. Gay marriage would also create stable adoptive homes for many orphans around the world, thereby helping the many unwanted and forgotten children. However, I remain hopeful that one day the hearts and minds of my fellow Americans will be opened to permit those with different sexual tastes to find happiness with one another. No one should be made to suffer through life without peace and companionship that is recognized and respected by their peers and the state. |
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