So, here it comes again: Yet another anti-gay constitutional amendment - this time in Texas.
Today, Texas voters will go to the polls to make their decision on Proposition 2, which will amend Texas' constitution to ban both same-sex marriage and also the creation or recognition of "any legal status identical or similar to marriage."
I don't consider myself a pessimistic person, but I also try my hardest to think realistically. In a conservative state such as Texas, the amendment will probably pass. And as always - like attendees of a literary barbecue in Berlin circa 1938 - supporters of the proposition can wake up in the morning knowing that the government protects them from something they don't agree with - in this case, the legal recognition of a relationship they find "immoral."
"Immoral" is a funny word.
Personally, I don't see how anyone could reasonably view private, consensual relations between mature individuals as "immoral," especially considering they don't hurt anyone, and nobody is being coerced.
Most people in this country who subscribe to the notion that homosexuality is "immoral" rationalize the belief by saying that it says so in the Bible.
However, if they insist upon condemning homosexuality, why don't they support slavery? After all, the Old Testament sanctions slavery in Leviticus, the same book where it condemns homosexuality. And while it was Paul, not Jesus, who condemned homosexuality in Romans 1:26-27, Jesus also seemed to condone slavery in Titus 2:9-10.
Niclas Berggren, an openly gay Swedish economist, proposes a compelling reason for this selective interpretation.
In an essay Berggren wrote for the Independent Gay Forum titled "The Emotional Origin of Homophobia," the summary says, "Dislike of homosexuality, though rationalized on various intellectual grounds, at root reflects an emotionally based reaction."
Nobody can deny the prominent role of homophobia in American culture.
To this day, many young people still describe things they dislike as "gay," playfully call each other "fags" and then proceed to play "smear the queer." These aren't anomalies - they reflect a deeper scorn and animosity toward anything remotely suggestive of homosexuality.
Thus, it's no surprise that an animosity toward "gay" shows up in many people's voting decisions and political opinions rationalized on intellectual grounds, whether they are based on religion, pseudo-science, "tradition" or the absurd idea that being gay, lesbian or bisexual is a "lifestyle choice."
This is in spite of the many psychological studies showing that nobody chooses his or her sexual orientation, as well as the psychological and sociological studies showing little or no difference between children raised by same-sex parents and those raised by opposite-sex parents. It is also in spite of the fact that most social and medical science associations support legalization of same-sex marriage based on their own studies.
Opponents of same-sex marriage oppose its legalization because they don't want to see relationships they've been raised to view as inferior, immoral or downright disgusting given status equal to heterosexual ones, which our culture has raised them to view as the only legitimate form of relationship.
The amendments already banning same-sex marriage in 18 states - not to mention the Defense of Marriage Act itself - don't exist to defend anything but to permanently eliminate the possibility their supporters will have to tolerate people different from themselves.
Sure, proponents of the Defense of Marriage Act or amendments such as the Texas' Proposition 2 might still have to see the occasional same-sex couple kiss or hold hands, but they can feel safe with the knowledge that the couple's "immoral" relationship will never exist on the same footing as theirs.
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