When the Supreme Court declared the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, cries of celebration and protest rang throughout the country, and while polarized reactions are expected (and rightly so) the protest is starting to sound more and more like whining.
For those that have no idea what is going on, DOMA, the law that was passed in 1996 that prohibited married homosexual couples from enjoying the same federal recognition as married heterosexual couples was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Many are asking how this affects the institution of marriage as a whole and how it will affect existing heterosexual marriages; but in truth the Supreme Court’s ruling will have absolutely no affect on your life if you are not gay.
The changes only apply to gays and lesbians that are already married, meaning that Louisiana (where same-sex marriage is not legal) is wholly unaffected. In fact the biggest group this will cause problems for is the federal government, which is doing something that it has never done before. They could possibly have a hard time adapting. Some agencies will have a harder time than others, but the Internal Revenue Service, the dreaded IRS, will have the hardest time of all. Ironically, it will also cause problems for married same-sex couples, who now have to relearn how to file their taxes. For married couples that live in states where their marriage is not recognized, it becomes even more complicated because your state of residence is what often determines your tax status. For you haters out there, here’s your silver lining.
For those that support marriage equality, the fight has just begun. State’s can’t decide consistent liquor laws, much less a consistent policy on same sex marriage.
Now that the obvious stuff is out of the way the less obvious needs to be addressed. The United States was created to be a refuge from oppression, a land of freedom, and yet the general public acts like the same crowd that branded our founders treasonous betrayers. It is not our place to decide how others live; instead we should focus on ourselves.
It is ridiculous to think that allowing same-sex marriage threatens the traditional institution of marriage; the only things that can split a marriage up are the spouses involved. If you disagree with it on a religious basis, it’s comparable to a Hindu disagreeing with you eating beef. Sometimes, in order to get along, you have to agree to disagree and that is perfectly fine. After all, we live in a free country and we have that option.