The Voice - Student Newspaper

Prop 102- same sex marriages should be permitted in Arizona

By Rogelio Macias
Freelance Reporter, The VOICE

Americans across the country cast their ballots in a historical election. With the election of Democrat Barack Obama as our counties new Commander in Chief and with the gain of additional seats in Congress, the outcome to this election was monumental and had our society seeing blue.

Of everything that happened on Nov. 4, we can all recognize that society has used their voice and showed their disappointment with the current administration and views of past years in politics.

They are ready for change and for the era of divisive politics to come to an end.

Unfortunately, the state of Arizona (AZ) showed that it still has some erroneous lingering ideas of what a "fair and equal" world should look like.

Proposition 102 (Prop 102) passed with 56 percent to 44 percent. Proposition 102 states that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as marriage in this state. This law was a major distraction and a waste of citizen's time. AZ law already prohibits marriage between persons of the same sex in the same way it does with marriage between close relatives (parents and children, brother and sister, etc.). As if the two can be so closely paralleled!

The amendment clearly aims to disallow same-sex marriages that are legal in other states; by refusing to recognize another state's contracts it will bring up federal constitutional issues.

Homophobia is still alive and well in America! After our country has taken steps toward a better tomorrow, its individual states have taken steps back.

The proof is in the bigoted actions that happen from coast to coast. California serving the biggest shock after recanting its policy of same sex marriages just months after its approval.

An example of hateful rhetoric that spreads lies to support the agenda of those who cannot discern what separation of church and state is happens to be one that happened in spring of 2006.

An AZ conservative activist presented her anti-gay marriage views to a local Women's Club. She stated that the "gay agenda" had succeeded in the Netherlands and consequently, the Netherlands had the highest suicide rate in the world.

She suggested that if gays were to "get their way" in AZ then suicide rates in AZ would skyrocket. Linking high suicide rates to gay marriage symbolizes the desperation of antagonists of the LGBT movement and equality fighters. There is absolutely no empirical evidence to support her accusations.

Civil unions, that grants virtually the same rights for same-sex marriages, are available in parts of Europe and Latin American countries, Israel, and the states Vermont and Connecticut.

If the United States prides itself on being the greatest nation on earth then why are we passing laws restricting us from being ahead of other countries? Why do we continue to pass legislation that contradicts our teachings of diversity and equality?