Gay-Marriage Equality in Texas

            The topic that I am addressing today is on same-sex marriage rights in Texas. Although marriage equality in Texas wasn’t initially embraced, I feel that this topic is becoming increasingly accepted and seems to be gaining support more and more everyday. The article that I am referencing is entitled The Accidental Activists and is about two Texas men, one a lawyer and the other a physician’s assistant and former Air Force officer, filed a suit that they will address in the U.S. District Court in San Antonio. These men were reluctant to even be the faces of this step-in-the-right-direction but they do so because they feel like it is the right thing to do.

            In my research I have only found a handful of gay-equality cases in Texas, this is quite shameful in my opinion. In Lawrence v. Texas the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that any state forbidding homosexuality be deemed unconstitutional. The United States v. Windsor case made it mandatory for the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages in states where it is legal. If these men win, the case will likely be appealed by Rick Perry and Greg Abbott, then it will be sent to the U.S. Supreme Court. Many are predicting that gay-marriage will eventually be made legal in all of the states. One of the men was asked if he would consider leaving Texas to move to a state where gay-marriage is legal and his “Texas exceptionalism” shone through and he said “Absolutely not. That’s not anything we would even entertain. It is inconceivable to us that we would have to move to enjoy our constitutional rights. That’s offensive.” I love this.

            I pride myself in being a warrior and have always stood up against things that I feel are wrong. Until now I have never spoke about the issue of gay marriage. I recently took a step back and thought about how it must feel to someone, gay or straight, to legally not be allowed to marry the person that you love and want to spend the rest of your life with. It truly is heartbreaking to read about a person, a person just like you and me, to have to hide who they are inside because they are afraid of a multitude of factors present in our society. I cannot even fathom that feeling because I grew up in a very supportive household, and I wish that I could share that with everyone that is afraid. What kind of state would want to make their citizens feel this way? I feel like that the major reason behind the opposition to gay marriage is religion. But it shouldn't be. I strongly believe in a separation between church and state and if they were separate this wouldn't be an issue. 

            I hope that Texans could put aside their biblical reservations and see that we all have feelings, we fall in love, we fall out of love, and everyone is entitled to legally be able to do those things without prohibition, or disciplinary action from our Texas government.