By Joshua Daniel Hershfield 10/23/06
On Thursday October 5, a California appeals court ruled that it is constitutional to limit marriage to heterosexual couples.
Justice William McGuiness, who voted to continue denying homosexuals
the right to marry, in a truly impressive display of ridiculousness
said, “California law does not literally prohibit gays and lesbians
from marrying. However, it requires those who do to marry someone of
the opposite sex.”
Justice J. Anthony Kline, dissented saying, “Recognizing the right of
an individual to marry a person of the same sex will not diminish the
validity or dignity of opposite sex marriage, any more than recognizing
the right of an individual to marry a person of a different race
devalues the marriage of a person who marries someone of her own race.”
This blatant discrimination shows that heterosexism and the
criminalization of homosexuality are still vital issues in the United
States. Despite that, Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
said about gay marriage on 60 Minutes Sunday night, “Well, that’s an
issue that is not an issue that we’re fighting about here.”
Currently, 45 states have defined marriage as “the union of a man and a
woman.” Only one jurisdiction in the United States, the state of
Massachusetts, allows same-sex couples to marry. The discrimination of
people based on sexuality is a tenet of the theocratic and fascist
political situation that currently grips the United States.