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In one regard the battle for Marriage Equality is won, although far from over. With 6 states allowing same-sex marriage, it is just a matter of time before more do, and at some point, more will become all. Although during this next phase of the battle- as more and more states come on board, and federal laws such as DOMA are challenged, the far right’s next move will be to try and reframe the debate. This is not a new move, they have been trying to reframe the debate all along, and now, the frame seems to be shifting. It was more about  maintaining traditional marriage and/or biblical marriage. This hasn’t been too successful except within their own ranks. Even a casual look at the Bible demonstrates that marriage has changed dramatically over time from a polygamous male dominated owning of a wife.

Two blog posts I have read recently try to place marriage equality into a frame of individual rights like the one linked here:

Now pro-homosexuality advocates are seeking to radically redefine marriage, reducing it to a relationship between any ‘two people who love each other.’

In reality, this is already a straight (pun intended) conventional understanding of marriage and not some new definition concocted by gay rights advocates. On some level the writer (Jeff Walton??) knows this already as he writes:

By many measures, marriage has weakened in our society. Fewer people marry. More people divorce. Increasing numbers follow a pattern of ‘serial monogamy.’

Thismust already be understood as the predominant collective understanding of marriage as he suggests. But no matter if this definition is considered a “redefinition by homosexuals” or the prevailing societal understanding- it fails to properly address the actual claim of the pro- same-sex movement.

Same-sex couples do already exist and have existed. These relationships are based upon all the same things that straight people form relationships. Not all couples marry for the exact same reasons, but generally they  including mutual love, the desire to build a family, and the desire to raise children. Advocates for same-sex marriage demand that all people are treated equal and not discriminated against because of the gender of the partners. Gar rights activists demand equality, and point out that this will strengthen families by treating gay and lesbian families as having the same rights and privileges. Recently, I highlighted 2 different examples of unequal treatment of same-sex couples:

• In the comments to a post about homophobia, I discussed briefly the financial losses experienced by Annie Liebowitz from the death of her long time partner Susan Sontag, because inheritance taxes and other legal estate issues protect opposite sex couples, but not same sex couples.
• The other day, I posted about a woman and three children who were denied access to their beloved partner/mother as she died in a hospital.

Even if you think the individuals involved in these situations are sinners and will burn in hell, I think anyone with a modicum of compassion has to grasp why it is unfair that these people must suffer in their real world situations.

The linked article concludes this way:

“U.S. Christians have three options. They can yield to the trends devaluing marriage. Or they can admit defeat in society but try to maintain traditional teachings inside the church. Or they can swim against the current and insist that both church and society lend a hand in strengthening marriage. We believe that only this last option is faithful to the Scriptures and conducive to the long-term good of society.

“The battle for marriage is far from over. The question is whether U.S. Christians are ready to move from a defensive position (defeating efforts to redefine marriage) to a more proactive posture (working together to strengthen marriage).”

The most obvious point to make about this is that the United States is a democracy where we enjoy freedom of religion but also freedom from religion, so the values and moral ideals of a single and shrinking faith background can not dominate the civil  and legal structures of our country. Same-sex marriage advocates have never asked for more than Civil Marriage- the elements of marriage that are provided by the government.

IRD Asks, ‘Is Marriage Worth Defending?’.