Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - "Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry?"

Quote:

Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry?

"Marriage partners, not government, should define the terms and spiritual
orientation of their union in accordance with our nation's guarantee of
religious freedom."

Should gay marriage be permitted? Is such marriage a basic human right or an
abomination that should never be sanctioned?

Establishment politicians are divided, much as their constituents are. No
matter what laws they enact or fail to enact, the division will remain and
the fighting will continue. Are we doomed to be a house divided?

Establishment politicians can't solve this real world problem because they
aren't asking the tough question: "Should lovers jointly decide what their
marriage will be or should government dictate the terms of their most
intimate union?"

Today, of course, government decides if a couple is even permitted to marry
through a licensing process. In other times and places, marriage licenses
were denied to interracial or other politically incorrect couples, just as
it can be denied to gay couples today.

When government permission is granted, the marriage constitutes a legal,
binding contract, with terms that vary over time and with the location of
residence. Since these terms are not written down, but are simply a matter
of case law and creative legal tactics, a couple rarely finds out what they
are until faced with a divorce. Men discover that their claim to custody can
be prejudiced simply by their sex. Women find that that their worth as a
homemaker varies from state to state. Prenuptial agreements are honored by
some courts and heavily discounted by others. The couples find themselves
bound, not by what they themselves have agreed upon, but by what government
officials dictate.

Like every partnership, marriage should fit the individuals it unites,
rather than be a "one-size-fits all" proposition defined by those outside
the relationship. Each marriage should be what the partners want it to be-no
more, no less. Ideally, the terms of marriage should be defined ahead of
time with procedures to modify them as necessary.

Just as anyone can engage in a business relationship, any individuals should
be able to enter into a marriage. Government's role in a business
partnership is to simply enforce, not dictate, its terms. Government's role
in marriage should be the same.

When marriage is taken out of the legal realm, it is seen for what it has
always been: a matter of heart and soul. Just as the Catholic Church has
historically disdained divorce among its congregation, so too will some
religious groups refuse to bless gay unions. Both those who support and
those who condemn gay marriage will be free to practice their beliefs and
persuade others to their way of thinking. Each individual will be free to
choose. Isn't that what America's all about?

We know how to live and let live. Our nation was founded-and prospered-on
that principle. Religious tolerance, the real issue in gay marriage, allows
us to live peacefully even though our beliefs may radically differ.

Freedom is the one thing we cannot have unless we give it to others. The
blessings our nation enjoys today is built upon that expression of free
will. If you elect me as your president, marriage will no longer be a
political football, but a matter for hearts and souls.

I'm Michael Badnarik, Libertarian for President. I ask the tough
questions-to give you answers that really work!

"Lighting the fires of Liberty, one heart at a time!"
Badnarik for President
http://www.badnarik.org

I know the issue has been debated to death on this board, but I thought it would be interesting to some of you to see what the Libertarian Presidential candidate's official opinion was.