the indie lumberjack.

*CAUTION* You might not like what you’re about to read, but this is how I feel. This does not reflect my credibility [or lack thereof] as a music critic/blogger/reviewer. Please have the foresight to separate my commentary on politics with my commentary on music. Thank you.

- Cody.

So I took this little poll on Facebook last night about my position on Gay Marriage and whether or not I support “Gay Marriage”, “Civil Unions”, or think “It Should Be Completely Illegal” and I ended up getting in to a heated argument for almost two hours about it. So let us detail my belief on the subject…

My “Upbringing” And A Brief History of Recent Events.

I was raised in a Christian home. My parents go to church every week, sometimes more than once. My mom is involved in church activities, my dad volunteers his time there, and they made sure to bring me there once a week to learn about God. I was baptized when I was 10 [I think] and was really involved in church up until I was 15 or 16. When my grandmother passed away, I sort of fell away from church and religion and the like. Since my Sophomore year in high school, I’ve become more liberal. I vote mostly Democrat when it comes time to go to the polls, but only because I feel they will do what I believe is right.

The Gay Marriage Question?

I support gay marriage. I think that love is love and it doesn’t matter if there are two vaginae [is this the plural of "vagina"? I typed "vaginas" and the gods of SpellCheck said no] or two penises involved. If two people are willing to commit to each other in more than an emotional way and take it to a legal level, they should have the right and privilege to do so.

Why I Think It Should Be Legalized

I live in the United States, which is arguably the most free and democratic nation on the face of the planet. We have Universal Suffrage for our citizens [anyone 18 and older can vote in elections], unparalleled opportunity for upward social mobility [relatively speaking], and people still flock to this country from all over to get a piece of the American pie.

I make that point, to make this point: Marriage is an institution of the state. Since the United States has no established religion [the First Amendment is explicitly clear in making this point], one can not base the argument for or against gay marriage on a strictly religious basis.

Yes, it can be argued that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed due to their practices of homosexuality [where the word Sodomy comes from]  and their exuberantly sinful ways [this is a biblical story found in the book of Genesis (exact verse) in the Old Testament]. But what if you don’t believe in the bible?

If you don’t believe in the bible, you’re out of luck apparently. A recent poll found that over 15% of the United States is not affiliated with any religion [I still feel like this number is deflated because a lot of people only join a religion out of fear of going to Hell (I can say that and you know I'm right)] But I’m going to stray away from religion because that is where this issue sadly remains bogged down.

Fact: The divorce rate in the United States is somewhere around like 50% [that is heterosexual couples].

So if straight couples can make a “mockery” of the “sanctity of marriage” by throwing rings and divorce papers around like confetti, why can’t gay couples who have been together for decades not tie the proverbial knot? Oh wait, that’s right, they’ll just blemish the great name that marriage in America has.

I also want to clear up the misconception that being gay is a choice or a mental defect. It hasn’t been classified a “psychological disorder” since the 1980s [let's think of who the president was then]. It also isn’t a choice because no intelligent human being would choose to be denied the right to legally bind themselves to another human being.

Conclusion…I guess.

There are currently six states the have recognized, legal gay marriage laws – Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire (2010), and Maine is voting on it in November]. Many other states have civil-unions while the rest [like my state of Virginia] do not allow same-sex marriages. —> Wikipedia!

I’m not saying that we should tear down the Church or that the streets should run over with the blood of intolerant Conservatives, I just think that every American citizen should share the same rights. That’s all. I don’t want to persecute the religious for persecuting the homosexual, because that is could hypocrisy and bigotry and both are wrong.

Legalize it.

The End.

That’s all I really wanted to talk about today…not really in a musical mood.

For any comments, questions, or concerns, email me at comments.asoundmind@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading.

Cody.