Just Say Yes to Same Sex Marriage

I admit it. I am a complete woman and I dream of one day walking down the aisle and getting married. I can't wait for the day that I can start planning my wedding, but then I realize that not everyone else has the chance of that same happiness.

The proposed California constitutional amendment aims to make marriage valid only between a man and a woman and will also void certain rights and obligations for same- and opposite-sex couples registered as domestic partners, such as health benefits and child custody. How can it even be considered constitutional to bar a group of people from getting married and gaining the same benefits as the rest of society?

I thought that as a people, we were moving away from such blatant discrimination. But there are still opponents of same-sex marriage who bleat that "Gay Marriage will ruin society" and "Gay Marriages makes marriage less meaningful for everyone." Massachusetts has had legal same sex marriage for four years and the last time I heard, they are doing fine. The sun still rises and sets, society is continuing to function normally, and nobody seems to be defecting out of state.

And as for marriage becoming less meaningful, maybe all these gay marriage opponents need to take a trip to Vegas and observe all the 'meaningful' quickie weddings that go on there.

There is also the argument that "the children will suffer" without a male and female role model. So if this is true, we better put a blanket ban on all the single moms and dads in California raising their children alone, because it looks like their kids' lives are going down the toilet.

Any arguments that same-sex marriage will increase the divorce rate are also ludicrous. A study published in Psychology Today magazine in 2006 found that in Denmark, where same sex marriage has been legal since 1989, the rate of homosexual divorces was 17 percent, while heterosexual divorce was more than double that, at 46 percent.

At least Gov. Schwarzenegger has some sense, saying he strongly opposes outlawing same-sex marriage and he will "always be there to fight against that." He also said that the initiative was a "waste of time" and predicted that Californians would defeat it if it makes the November ballot. If only all the other politicians in Sacramento had the same brains, then we could be tackling more important social issues, like healthcare or education.

Placing a ban on same-sex marriage is just ridiculous, and proponents of the initiative need to remove their blinders and take a look at reality. All people gay, straight or anywhere in between deserve the right to take the step of making their love legal. Denying the right of marriage to anyone will destroy the social fabric more than anything else could.