The Tornoe spin: Gay Marriage

Delaware took a big step this legislative session. Leave it to Rob Tornoe to put in perspective. 

Rob Tornoe creates a monthly editorial cartoon for newsworks.org/delaware.

The goal is let you laugh and let you think.   We also invite you to send your comments.

Here’s how Rob sees it:

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New York became the 6th state to legalize Gay Marriage behind the leadership of a forceful and determined Andrew Cuomo. 

The New York Times said the vote showed “how a Democratic governor, himself a Catholic, who used the force of his personality and relentlessly strategic mind to persuade conflicted lawmakers to take a historic leap.” 

My favorite quote came from Roy McDonald, a conservative state republican who broke ranks with his party to support marriage equality. “Well, f**k it, I don’t care what you think. I’m trying to do the right thing,” McDonald said. “I’m tired of Republican-Democrat politics. They can take the job and shove it.” 

This brings me to Delaware. Yes, Jack Markell pushed for and passed a civil union bill that grants gay couples the same exact legal rights as their straight counterparts, but by calling it something other than marriage, it continues to remain “separate but equal.” 

Blacks in the south in the 1960s drank the same exact water as whites did, but were forced to drink it out of separately labeled fountains meant to trivialize their importance and keep them separate form their superior white counterparts. 

Get the picture? 

If the term “marriage” is truly a religious institution (part of the New York law carves out discrimination protection against churches refusing to marry gay couples), then in order for “marriage equality” to move forward, we need to take the term “marriage” out of the equation. 

Think about it – people don’t receive a baptism certificate from the courthouse, nor are there any federal or state benefits derived from the confessional booth, bar mitzvahs or any other religious sacraments performed every day in this country. 

Having the government issue a marriage license is one of those areas where the wall has been blurred between church and state. Though secular now, marriage was (and still is to many people) a religious ceremony. 

If everyone were to simply sign a civil union license, it would eliminate the equal protection issue at the core of this debate all together. It would also blunt efforts by Republicans to ban gay marriage, as well as accommodate all religious and non-religious people. 

Atheists rejoice! 

I’m not so naive to believe that it would completely fix the underlying problem. There are those who are not only against gay marriage, but against gay couples and homosexuality all together. And they are especially against the government legitimizing those relationships no matter what we decide to call them. 

The bright side of the equation is the wave of change is not on their side, and the future is recognizing the truth – that gay people should have the same rights and privileges as the blessed straights. 

I’ll stick with what Jesus says about homosexuality – nothing. He’s not recorded as saying a single thing about same-sex relationships. 

Maybe the Son of God was ahead of his time by realizing they’re not as different as some would like to think. 

Rob also created Delaware Punchline. You can see his work at http://delawarepunchline.com.

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