Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Gay marriage is not legal! You can’t force me to accept gay marriage, that’s a violation of my Constitutional rights! I have the right to associate or not and I don’t want to associate with those people!
I’m certain you have heard those or similar comments at some point in the recent past, especially after the DOMA ruling earlier this summer. Is there some sort of forced gay marriage association epidemic sweeping this great land of which I am unaware? If the left is going around forcing people on the right to enter into a homosexual marriage then I could understand the sentiment from the right. But, absent such a scenario, what is the problem?
The right is very much advocating gun rights and how those of us on the left are constantly infringing upon those rights, rights that are murky at best. But, you don’t see me running around the country screaming that Republicans are forcing me to buy a gun. I’m not going to exaggerate the issue that far. They want their guns, fine, I’m living with that. I want my gay marriage. The right needs to learn to live with that.
A recent article on Town Hall noted this: “Yes, we’ve gotten to the place where forced social inclusion is the rule, and free association something of a myth.” Good try, but not quite.
Why is social inclusion a problem? Why is accepting people bad? So long as a person isn’t a Dexter like serial killer, I don’t see a problem accepting people for who they are. Frankly, I fail to understand the right when they refuse to accept people for who they are. I accept many on the right as bigoted and old fashioned for no other reason than to discriminate. Why can’t the right accept someone who is kind and loving and just wants equal rights? Because that person is different from them and they’re scared by change.
Moving forward as a society is not a quick process; there will always be those that oppose progress. But, I think the time has come for conservatives to release their antiquated views on gay marriage and stop opposing equality. You do not have to accept a person for who they are if you don’t want to; no one can force you to do that. Nor do you have to enter into a gay marriage, just as I am not being forced to buy a gun. But, just as I accept your choice and ability to own a gun, you need to accept others and their choice and ability to love and marry whomever they choose. It’s not being forced upon you; it’s simply the right thing to do.
Related Posts
Latest posts by Bryan Driscoll (see all)
- Where is the Outrage from the Right? - February 19, 2017
- Eight Days - January 29, 2017
- Tomorrow - January 21, 2017
