In a historic ruling on 26 June 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Obergefell v Hodges that the right to marriage equality is enshrined under the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment and that accordingly, same-sex marriages are now legal in America - all 50 states! Finally! It's a huge step forward for both the LGBT community and humanity and we can be assured that more progress will follow! Next up, Taiwan?
Change might not come as quickly and easily for Singapore (I was very amused by the the dismal coverage in the papers) but it will happen sooner or later.. and the first to go will be none other than... s 377A. \o\ Thankfully, even if the legalisation of same-sex marriages doesn't happen in the next decade or so, I think Singapore is a pretty good place to be in (for the LGBT community). We may be a pretty conservative bunch but at the very least, we're tolerant and the majority of the population isn't for public shaming or what not. The religious diversity that the government protects so dearly also prevents any religious group from wielding disproportionate influence over state policies and offers said community a comfortable environment to thrive in. I once witnessed a gay couple sharing a kiss on the escalators at Shaw Centre - the really steep escalators stretching from the ground floor to the theatres - and what struck me then was not just how sweet the moment was (and it felt like it would never end heh since the escalators stretched on for like, forever haha) but how carefree and relaxed they looked, whether standing next to each other or sharing a smooch. Nobody gave them a second look - though they could have been staring out of the corners of their eyes, nobody gave judgmental grunts of disapproval and nobody shunned them. They were just like any other couple, albeit with more testosterone than usual haha (: I was so very proud of my country and her people in that very moment, to know that we're big-hearted enough (or magnanimous for some religious people) to accommodate people of all sexuality and glad that people with such preferences are able to live a normal, happy life.
Unfortunately, for as many rainbow flags that are flying up high and proud, there appears to be an equal number of bigoted, loathsome, sickening people around spreading their hate. Whine all you want, haters - our cheers will drown out your cries - ain't nothin gon' change for you vile creatures.
I've been hearing/reading a lot about how the court decision actually goes beyond marriage equality to redefine marriage (and that is oppressive for certain Christians), about how allowing 5 judges, being mere mortals, to redefine marriage (against God's intent) is blasphemy and how the decision discriminates against Christians. Many religious individuals are also up in arms about how supporters of LGBT rights are being hypocritical for they are labelled as prejudicial, regressive sub-humans (when they state their stand) whereas the latter are lauded for their more progressive views and protected by the shield of freedom of speech. Much of their nonsense do not make sense, frankly.
To start with, unless the people of the United States of America are 100% Christian (and even then, there are so many denominations of Christianity, such a scenario isn't realistic), why must/should the legal definition of marriage be consistent with that in the Bible? Or since when has it been the case? Well, the answer is that it hasn't been and it never will be. The state organ is intended to be separate from religion - it wasn't always like that but this is how it is right now (so deal with it); likewise, the law is free of overt religious influences, Christian or not. On the same note, a change in the legal definition of marriage isn't tantamount to redefining religious marriage for Christians (or attacking their faith and discriminating them, in the words of some believers). If you believe in a certain conception of marriage, then you are free to live by it. No one's forcing you to go against it! No one's forcing you to accept and adopt the new definition of marriage - yes, these narrow-minded people can still reject same-sex couples, put them down and act as if the law hadn't changed argh - but you can't and you should not deprive others of the right to get married! Sure, call them sinners who are all going to 'ell all you want but the point is, they don't care! Nobody cares! No one gives a hoot about what you think about THEIR lives! You can stick to your own beliefs and customs whereas the community will reap the benefits of the amended law - everyone's happy! (okay it's never that simple but hey, perhaps simplicity is what everyone needs right now) It's perfectly fine and completely acceptable for Christians and any other persons to hold anti-homosexuality views (I don't want to use 'homophobic' for that has negative connotations) - everyone is entitled to their own views along with the right to air those sentiments. Freedom of speech applies to everyone, pro-LGBT rights or not. No one's a bigot. Yet. But the minute this freedom is exploited and used to shame, humiliate, cause actual detriment to other individuals (eg. by blocking the passing of laws that would legalize same-sex marriages) and/or promote any form of conduct that deprives LGBT persons of their dignity and human rights (it's absolutely disgusting how some people treat homosexuals as subhumans or animals), that protection ceases. You can have your own opinions about marriage - there's nothing wrong - but the second you try to impose (emphasis added) them on other people (who you so conveniently forget are also entitled to their own views), nawnaw. Game over.
As for those oh-so-slippery arguments about how the legalisation of same-sex marriage will pave the way for worse things to come like bestiality and objectophilia (this is weird but.. who am I to judge) but that's not true. The most glaring flaw in them is that most arguments in favour of same-sex marriages (eg. right to a child, rights of a child from a same-sex family, marriage rights of the partner, rights of married couples, eg. housing, medical) don't apply to the abovementioned phenomenons(?). Your sofa husband wants health benefits? Or do you want to adopt a child with your kitty wife? I wouldn't put it past mankind to legalise such things though. Morality is a very subjective thing (as history has proven).
Admittedly, there may be a problem with Christian county clerks (having to issue marriage licenses), businesses, pastors, churches (who are unwilling to provide their services to same-sex couples) but that's a problem for another day.
For now, let's just celebrate this huge step for humanity! Rainbows (and unicorns)!
