Miss California's Bible-Speak

Well, Monday night's Miss USA pageant was a real interesting one. I didn't watch it this year, but I have read the transcript of Miss California's answer to Perez Hilton's question about same-sex marriage. Miss California spouted forth that she believes marriage should be between a man and a woman and that was how she was raised, etc.

Here is an excerpt from a Karel's website blog (http://www.radiokrl.com/):

Civil rights are not up for debate. The Constitution guarantees that equal equals equal so I know one day marriage will be legal for all couples that want it. Fight that fight in a way that works and leave someone whose job it is to model dresses and be objectified by men alone, even if it’s for your own advantage. Technically, she gave the POPULAR and CORRECT answer in her country like it or not. Change that and you make her look stupid and irrelevant. Attack the message, not the messenger.

I disagree with Miss California, whose name I do not use on purpose, but I support her right to have her opinions. I support her right to rally people to keep marriage between a man and a woman, it’s America. She is ill informed or brainwashed by religion or some other force. Don’t ask a scorpion why it stung you, it’s a scorpion, that’s what it does, Ask why its sting hurts so much and why its attack is still condoned. The answer to those questions, and changing of those situations is how you, we, us, Americans that believe in equality win. Those that seek legal oppression should not have their voice codified in law, but the First Amendment gives them a voice.

And truthfully, who the hell cares what a pageant winner thinks about social policies? SHE’S A PAGEANT BEAUTY QUEEN, not running for public office. Her job will be to attend corporate events and speak all around the country. IF she won and IF she went on a anti-marriage campaign, then, in America it would be your right to launch some sort of campaign against her. Chances are, she would have stayed away from that topic for an entire year. Quickly, off the top of the head, name one political stance of one past MIss USA? War in Iraq? Abortion? Economy? The Bush Years?...

What this guy said is so right on! Why do we in the glbt community call this same-sex fight anything but a fight for civil rights? The Constitution gives every American the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It also says that we should all be equal! Why do we feel the need to talk about this issue with those who have religious difference with us? If they feel differently than we do, then let them. However, civil justice requires that we all be treated equally. Therefore, in civil law, we should be able to marry whomever we want. The Church doesn't have a say in this, really. Now, if I wanted to get married in a church, then they could refuse to marry me to my partner. However, religious folk who disagree with me about same-sex marriage do not have the right to tell me who I can enter into a civil contract with!

This issue should be very simple. We need to go back and start re-framing the same-sex marriage debate in these terms.

It's like a bumper sticker says: If you don't believe in gay marriage, then don't marry one!