Marriage Wars. Again. Still. Over?

May 5, 2009 by Pastor Dan.

This may seem to be is a secondary issue in the Marriage Wars, but an important one that chips away at the Defense of Marriage concept: when a state or in this case the District of Columbia voluntarily decides to recognize other states’ gay or lesbian marriages.

DC Council OKs Out-of-State Gay Marriages (Christian Post, May 5, 2009)

The Washington, D.C. Council gave its final approval on Tuesday to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. The council voted 12 to 1 to pass the legislation.

While the Human Rights Campaign, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights organization, and other gay rights advocates applauded the vote, saying it was “simply the right thing to do,” a group of traditional marriage advocates, including local ministers, were outraged.

“Every minister who fears God should be here,” said Paul Trantham, according to The Washington Post. “This is disrespectful to the nation’s capital. There is nothing equal about same-sex marriage.”

Former Mayor Marion Barry casted [sic] the lone opposing vote. He initially voted with the rest of the council to approve the measure but after consulting with the religious community, he chose to stand with the ministers.

According to MSNBC today,

The vote is considered the first step toward eventually allowing gay marriages to be performed in Washington. Congress, which has final say over the city’s laws, will get 30 days to review the bill assuming Democratic Mayor Adrian Fenty, a supporter, signs it.

If Congress takes no action, the bill will become law automatically. President Barack Obama and congressional leaders have not signaled where they stand on the D.C. bill. Obama generally supports civil unions but has said marriage is between a man and a woman.

But seriously, has the war been won even while the battle rages? Can we claim victory even while we are suffering casualties and setbacks in some states, including California? (When will the California Supremes issue their final word on Proposition 8??)

“Is Gay Marriage Inevitable?” – Maggie Gallagher, June 20, 2008, not a particularly supportive opinion piece. Gay marriage, she says, will redefine infidelity, among other things. Was she the first to suggest the “inevitable” word? Or do journalists trade crib sheets? Is “inevitable” the “next big thing” in reporting on the sexuality wars? For example (a very quick Google survey):

“Is Legal Same-Sex Marriage Inevitable?” – Freakonomics, April 9, 2009, and this is sort of fascinating: “Polling guru Nate Silver has built a regression model, based on demographic and political trends, to forecast when a majority of the voting public in each of the 50 states might vote against a gay-marriage ban, or vote to repeal an existing one. His findings: by 2016, most states will have legalized gay marriage, with Mississippi alone holding on until 2024. . .”

“Marriage Equality Is Inevitable” – Bernard Whitman in Forbes Magazine, April 29, 2009: “But no matter your opinion on the subject, this truth is inexorable: Gays and lesbians will one day be able to wed legally in all 50 states. Our relationships will finally be recognized as valid under the law and protected by our government. And America will be a stronger country for it.”

“Gay marriage is inevitable” – Jeff Jared, Kirkland, Washington Reporter, April 23, 2009: “The inexorable march of gay marriage continues. Connecticut and Massachusetts already have it. Four states down, 46 to go. I’ll wager in 20 years, it’ll be legal in all 50 states, just like it took interracial marriage many years to become universally legal.

“For people under 30, gay marriage is a non-issue. To them, it’s obvious gay marriage should be legal. It violates equal protection to give marital benefits (inheritance rights, divorce rights, tax advantages, medical visitation rights, etc.) only to straights.”

For the record, rights, justice, understanding, and fairness are never inevitable. And once achieved they are never secure. We will always see the flip-flopping of public opinion from one generation to the next, or from one region of the country to the next.

My question is always, are we following Jesus? Because discipleship is also not inevitable nor permanent. Each person must commit to discerning what Jesus asks of us, how far to stick our necks out, when to speak and when to remain silent. If we are determined to claim our place at the table of the Lord, and to ask for God’s blessing of our relationships, these things will not come to us inevitably. We must ask for them by name, seek them with diligence, and thank God when they are ours.

—Pastor Dan Hooper, Los Angeles

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