Love in the Heartland

Today, Iowa had its first legal gay marriage. Of course, the judge who overturned the unconstitutional ruling banning gay marriage, issued a verbal stay of his own judgement within hours of the overturning. So, immediately, they had to stop accepting the marriage-license applications. In other words, they allowed a same-sex marriage to take place, but now the state is back in legal limbo on the whole issue, and will probably end up making it illegal again, overturning the marriage that happened today in the meantime.

I don't get this. I mean, I seriously CANNOT wrap my head around it. Why in the name of logic and sanity is gay marriage not allowed? What century are we living in? All these states that are passing these "Defense of Marriage" bills, placing it into their constitutions that marriage is between "a man and a woman" only, are, I swear, the most backwards, idiotic and narrow-minded places in the universe! We live in a world where child molesters walk free on technicalities, sports "heroes" torture and kill animals for profit, politicians vote to spend billions on a pointless, deadly war while half the nation's children are without health care and decent education, and these morons are worried about the fact that two loving people, average everyday people who are not committing crimes or hurting a soul, want to get married but happen to be of the same gender. OH MY GAWD, we can't have THAT!!! It corrupts the goodness and purity of the sacred union of marriage!

Domestic violence shelters are FULL, people. There is not enough room for the women and children who need safety and protection from the legal husbands and opposite-gender boyfriends who are hurting them. The divorce rate, last I heard, was about 60% in the first five years for first marriages, and the vast majority of people are married more than once (my husband, who is my 2nd, is on his 4th marriage). Hate and abuse and misery are rampant - not everywhere, and not just with heterosexual couples, but it abounds nonetheless. My husband, who is verbally and emotionally abusive, can get married unchecked four times, but two gay men who love each other and have never had more than the occasional lovers' quarrel can't even get married once. My sister-in-law, who is an even bigger piece of shit than her brother, can also get married without hassle four or five times, but two honest, hardworking, law-abiding and responsible gay women can't even ask for a license, let alone actually marry each other.

It isn't fair. People are people, and love is scarce. Why are these fools in charge saying that it's a sin and an affront to God for gays to marry, when you know 90% of these self-same politicians are cheating on their wives, cheating on their taxes and who knows what other "affronts to God"? Who are they to make that judgement, anyway? Separation of church and state should take care of this, since theoretically the whole "only between a man and a woman" thing comes from the Bible and the only people who have issues with it are those who are either homophobes or are preaching that love of this kind is a "sin" (usually both).

I'm not gay, but I know plenty of people who are, and their relationships with their partners are a lot more healthy and fulfilling than mine is with my husband. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of man-woman marriages that are wonderful and strong, but heterosexuality should not be a pre-qualifier to being married. Marriage is a state of mind, a way of life, and although the piece of paper given to you by the state is important in terms of health insurance, legal rights, child custody, etc., that paper is not marriage itself. That being said, it should also not be withheld due to what amounts to gender discrimination.