America crossed a threshold in 2011. For the first time, according to a CNN/Opinion Research survey, a majority of us approved of gay marriage. It was a slim majority (51 percent), but that number is sure to grow because 60 percent of those polled who are under 50 years old said they approve.
This should come as no surprise since the number of people who are okay with gays getting married has slowly but surely been increasing. Why? Because the middle of America is filled with people who are actually fair and open minded. And it is the middle of America that decides how this country will deal with social issues. The fringes of this country are just that — fringes — and eventually they are outnumbered.
Of course there is more to this slow change in America. It started when gays who had gone public urged others who were afraid to do the same. Then something happened. Many of us discovered that it was not that rare to have a gay family member or a friend who had a child that was gay or a neighbor who is gay. My two best lifelong friends both have sons who are gay. And, guess what, they are still my best friends and their sons are my friends too.
That is why the proposed amendment in the Indiana legislature to ban gay marriage, which has language that could even ban gay unions, is a ridiculous waste of time. I am not saying Indiana should become a haven for gay marriage, but banning it, and possibly gay unions, is nothing but political pandering.
What are some people afraid of? One of the old horse arguments is that we must protect the sanctity of marriage. Really? So if two gay people live together down the block from you, is that somehow going to strain your marriage? Anyone who thinks so should really spend more time working on his or her lawn or maybe his or her own marriage. The lowest figure I could find on divorce in America currently is 41 percent. So how sanctified is that?
Isn't it time we just let people alone in their own houses and bedrooms. Live and let live.
Michael Collins
Class of ‘67
South Bend, IN
Apr. 27
