by Jason Lusk

Created on: February 09, 2008   Last Updated: January 19, 2009

What is a marriage? Legal or common-law, a marriage is a lifelong commitment between two people who are willing to work to maintain the relationship and to sacrifice for each other.

Can one find these attributes ONLY in a man-woman relationship? No. Why? Because whether we're homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, or whatever, we're all human.

Perhaps if we still lived as we did in the old days, when everything from daily living to politics was based on the Bible, the answer would be yes. But haven't we grown since then? Haven't we (dare I say) evolved?

Homosexuals have always been here and always will be here. But one thing that seems overlooked in such debates as this is that we are dealing with people. No one enjoys being a stereotype; besides, it's wholly unfair.

Now and then, you hear such phrases as "I don't agree with the homosexual lifestyle." Such things are said out of ignorance. For homosexuals (and bisexuals, for that matter), it isn't about belief, lifestyle, or what's right or wrong. It's simply part of their nature.

And they are no different, really, from heterosexual people. Some are a joy to be around and hang out with, some are annoying, some sleep around, and some are in long-lasting committed relationships ... marriage.

On the legal side of this, if you go back to the Bible, homosexuality was condemned for two reasons: the lack of producing children, and a political statement. In those days, divine law was also political law. Homosexuality was allowed in most pagan cultures, and the followers of the Bible wanted to spread their religion, and thus, their politics.

It seems that some want to take us back to those days.

One major concern that we all should have is when the federal government tries to step in on this. The job of the government is supposed to be leadership, international representation, and protection.

When a politician speaks on equality and freedom, and then speaks of marriage as the sanctimonious union between a man and a woman, it's the epitome of hypocrisy. How can we be free and equal if our private lives, which are none of the government's business, dictate what we're allowed or not allowed?

Love is love. And love, when it's real, is never wrong. "Illegal" and "wrong" are not the same things. Law and morality are not the same things. Yet we still live in a world where they're viewed with the same parameters.

If a nation's people are to be free and equal, they should all have the same rights and privileges. Are homosexuals hurting anyone by simply falling in love and being with each other? The die-hard religious will say yes, but religion will continue either way. Besides, there are many homosexuals who are deeply Christian, for example.

For those who don't agree with it, well, there are a lot of things in this world that I don't agree with. I have moral issues with a fast-food chain that uses sex (sometimes idiotically) to advertise hamburgers. But do I gripe about it? Do I send out petitions to get it banned? No. For I believe in free speech, free expression, and free advertising. If you don't like what you see, look at something else.

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