Quote:
Originally Posted by Tam Li Hua
If they want to be miserable just like the rest of us, then who am I to stand in their way?
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It never fails that someone finds it necessary to toss this "misery" canard into the conversation. If your marriage is miserable, I pity you, but in casting aspersion on existing marriage you degrade yourself and your own ability to properly function in a mutual relationship, not on others' ability to do so.
The landmark case,
Loving v. Virginia in 1967, which struck down anti-miscegenation statutes across the United States will also be the hallmark by which this issue will be decided. Here is Mildred Loving's last official statement in support of marriage for gays and lesbians. I think they bear repeating concerning the current topic, for the benefit of those who may not be familiar.
Mildred said she considered her marriage and the court decision to be God's work. She supported everyone's right to marry whoever he or she wished, and expressed support for same-sex marriage. In 1965, when the case was pending, she told the Washington Evening Star, "We loved each other and got married. We are not marrying the state. The law should allow a person to marry anyone he wants." On June 12, 2007, Mildred Loving issued a statement on the 40th anniversary of the Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court decision.
Her statement concluded:
Quote:
"My generation was bitterly divided over something that should have been so clear and right. The majority believed that what the judge said, that it was God's plan to keep people apart, and that government should discriminate against people in love. But I have lived long enough now to see big changes. The older generation's fears and prejudices have given way, and today's young people realize that if someone loves someone, they have a right to marry.
Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don’t think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the 'wrong kind of person' for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people's civil rights.
I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard's and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight, seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about."
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Thank you, Mrs. Loving. I think that about sums it up.