“Marriage is … the most natural state of man, and therefore the state in which you are most likely to find solid happiness … It is the man and woman united that makes the complete human being … man has not nearly the value he would have in the state of union. He is an incomplete animal; he resembles the odd half of a pair of scissors.”
These words, written by founding father Benjamin Franklin in 1745, were intended to guide a young man towards marriage. The advice depicts marriage as a force of completion, a force that could not be overcome. The letter is entitled “Advice to a Young Man on the Choice of a Mistress.” No human being, regardless of sexual orientation, should be barred from the feelings and advice given by Mr. Franklin (though I might advise against taking in an extra partner without your significant other’s prior knowledge). If any man or woman deserves the right to be complete human beings, so do those of relationships consisting of two men or two women.
Who wants to be the odd half of a pair of scissors when those around you have the right to be one whole pair?
Many people live in ignorance of the effects of the widespread legalization of gay marriage. Many couples of the LGBT community currently live at home with their significant other, pay bills with their significant other and simply partake in everyday life with their significant other. Providing them with the same freedoms that you are granted will not cause some widespread breakout of homosexuality. A person’s sexuality is not dictated by the laws of this nation; therefore, there is nothing to fear. The earth will continue to revolve around the sun, I promise.
As a heterosexual male, I cannot and will not pretend to understand the struggles of someone in the LGBT community, but I know inhumanity when I see it. There is no justification for discriminating against your fellow Americans or anyone of any nationality.
On what grounds of legality do those opposed to the legalization of gay marriage stand? Is your
opposition based on religion?
I have heard this argument many times. While your religion may be dear to you, adherence to a set of religious rules differs from individual to individual. There are many people who practice a religion different from mine or yours, who have the same rights to wed as I do–ifthey marry someone of the opposite sex.
Although my religion, or your religion, may outline marriage in a certain way, our nation’s laws are not the same as the laws of my religion. Even the marriage of two atheists is acknowledged with validity, as long as they are heterosexual atheist.
Is your opposition based on the Constitution? If so, your right to wed is not expressly named in the Constitution of the United States, nor is it protected by it. The Declaration of Independence, however, written by our beloved founding father Thomas Jefferson, does make the following statement:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
We pride ourselves on fighting for justice and equality on the international stage. We must never forget to take care of our own. We must end discrimination among all people “with liberty and justice for all.”
Brice Ashford is a junior marketing major from Ridgeland.
