I'm ashamed to be a citizen of Wisconsin right now.
The state's House of Representatives is en route to portraying Wisconsinites as bigots. It has passed a potential constitutional amendment that would alter Wisconsin's constitution to explicitly deny rights to people. As at the national level, our legislators are trying to deny marriage to any who are not heterosexual. For all the talk of protecting the sanctity of marriage, that is not the case. Conservative legislators are acting out of fear of something they cannot or will not understand: the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population is composed of fellow human beings who simply want recognition of their commitment to each other and the rights and responsibilities that come with it. To deny them the right to marry, to word an amendment broadly enough that it could prevent even civil unions, is to deny their common humanity.
Conservatives used to claim their problem with the LGBT populations was based on rampant promiscuity. Yet now, when LBGT citizens are searching for the chance to have their monogamous long-term relationships recognized by the state, a right enjoyed by every heterosexual whether they choose to take part in it or not, they are blocked.
Same-sex marriage is not going to affect the institution. Straight people are not going to lose anything by finally granting same-sex couples rights to which they should have always had access. This amendment goes so far as to not only define marriage as only between a man and a woman, but to deny legal status for anything \identical or substantially similar,"" which would include civil unions.
Unfortunately, even supporters of same-sex marriage and civil unions think that the state Senate will also pass this amendment, taking it a third of the way toward ratification. The entire state legislature, both Senate and House, will have to pass it again in the next legislative session, and then it will face a public referendum. I want to believe Wisconsin's citizens will reject it for the bigotry it is, but it should never make it there. It should never have been attempted at all.
Wisconsin, especially Madison, is known as a tolerant, accepting place. We have a loud, vocal LGBT community that we have supported time and time again when it faced discrimination. The Capitol dome was once lit in rainbow shades for weeks on end. When the anti-gay Rev. Fred Phelps came from Kansas to spread his hate in 2001, a peaceful protest against him drew large crowds from a broad spectrum, young and old, gay and straight. His message of hate was rejected, just as this amendment should be.
Yet with this amendment, we are telling our neighbors they are second-class citizens, that they are not one of us. We are not San Francisco or New York or Washington D.C., in terms of sheer numbers. Our lesbian and gay population does not comprise 17 percent of the voting base or have the ability to sway elections by sheer force of will. They need to be supported by the rest of us. Our representatives need to be told we do not support this legislation. We do not support them circumventing Gov. Jim Doyle and the process that just last year prevented them from making this statutory law. We do not support the perversion of the constitution. The constitution, on the state and national level, should not be used to take rights away from people.
Marriage is a word wrapped up in so many layers of meanings, from the mundane to the civil to the religious. Yet suddenly, it has become only about some twisted form of morality, where marriage is only about the production and raising of children according to biblical standards.
However, this debate is not, and should not be, about religion-though as a sidebar, opponents maintain historical precedent denies homosexuals the right to marry within the church, yet experts in the field have found texts relating same-sex ceremonies from the early centuries of the church. Gay marriage, in the civilian realm, will not force religions that do not want it to sanctify them in their churches to do some. Of course, some forward-thinking sects, including a good chunk of the Episcopalians, already perform a religious ceremony for same-sex couples.
By allowing a same-sex couple recognition by the state, they are allowed so many small but important rights. They will be able to visit their partners in the hospital, make medical decisions and both be listed as mother or father in their children's school records. They'll also adopt responsibilities-paying more taxes by filing jointly and being responsible for child support or alimony when a relationship breaks up.
More importantly, marriage is about love and commitment. It is a basic human right. By denying it to some, we deny them some portion of their humanity.
Let's live up to our reputation and lead the movement forward, not backward.
Jessica Rane Gartner is a senior majoring in political science. She can be reached at opinion@
dailycardinal.com.
