Staff Editorial: District of Columbia's gay rights decision a sign to rest of country
Issue date: 3/8/10 Section: Opinions
We are proud of you, D.C.
Proud that you have come to your senses and realized that it is against everything we believe in as Americans to withhold a person's rights just because they're trying to be themselves.
Same-sex marriage was legalized in the District of Columbia Wednesday, creating another leap for gay rights.
Currently, the District of Columbia is the sixth place in the U.S. to allow same-sex marriage, following in the footsteps of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and Vermont.
In the U.S., state law governs civil marriage. Each state can set the conditions for a legalized marriage, but is subject to limits set by the state's constitution and the U.S. Constitution.
That being said, there is a law called the Defense of Marriage Act, which went into effect Sept. 21, 1996, that states no state needs to treat a relationship between two persons of the same sex as a marriage, even if it is considered marriage in another state. It also states that marriage is a legal union exclusively between a man and a woman.
Talk about a contradiction.
Same-sex marriage is now legal in the nation's capitol, but not across the nation?
It seems so strange that we are a country that proclaims freedom for all, and yet we are so far behind on something as simple as allowing two people who love each other to marry.
There is currently no legislation to allow same-sex marriage in Illinois.
However, in 2009, Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago), introduced the Equal Marriage Act, Bill 2468, which would provide same-sex couples the same treatment as heterosexual couples in civil marriage.
The bill also states the current state laws relating to marriage discriminate against gay couples and would change the statute to say that a marriage is between two people, rather than a man and a woman. The bill has not yet moved.
Meghan McCain, daughter of Sen. John McCain, posted on her Twitter account in January, "I think more Republicans need to start taking a stand for… civil rights in this country and set the example that this is not a partisan issue."
Proud that you have come to your senses and realized that it is against everything we believe in as Americans to withhold a person's rights just because they're trying to be themselves.
Same-sex marriage was legalized in the District of Columbia Wednesday, creating another leap for gay rights.
Currently, the District of Columbia is the sixth place in the U.S. to allow same-sex marriage, following in the footsteps of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and Vermont.
In the U.S., state law governs civil marriage. Each state can set the conditions for a legalized marriage, but is subject to limits set by the state's constitution and the U.S. Constitution.
That being said, there is a law called the Defense of Marriage Act, which went into effect Sept. 21, 1996, that states no state needs to treat a relationship between two persons of the same sex as a marriage, even if it is considered marriage in another state. It also states that marriage is a legal union exclusively between a man and a woman.
Talk about a contradiction.
Same-sex marriage is now legal in the nation's capitol, but not across the nation?
It seems so strange that we are a country that proclaims freedom for all, and yet we are so far behind on something as simple as allowing two people who love each other to marry.
There is currently no legislation to allow same-sex marriage in Illinois.
However, in 2009, Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago), introduced the Equal Marriage Act, Bill 2468, which would provide same-sex couples the same treatment as heterosexual couples in civil marriage.
The bill also states the current state laws relating to marriage discriminate against gay couples and would change the statute to say that a marriage is between two people, rather than a man and a woman. The bill has not yet moved.
Meghan McCain, daughter of Sen. John McCain, posted on her Twitter account in January, "I think more Republicans need to start taking a stand for… civil rights in this country and set the example that this is not a partisan issue."
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Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Ann American
posted 3/07/10 @ 11:15 PM CST
Bravo!
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