The Supreme Court Says I Do to Same Sex Marriage
As the The Supremes once said , “You Can’t Hurry Love”. Well it took decades to get another group of Supremes to the altar, but they finally said “I Do” to marriage equality for all!
As the window closes for the chance to be a June bride, the window to get married just opened wider.
Marriage Equality For All
Bringing a breeze of fresh air into the traditional notion of marriage, the U.S. Supreme Court made a historic ruling concerning marriage equality, legalizing gay nuptials nationwide.
With this ruling allowing same-sex marriage to be the law of the land, will come the predictable meltdown from conservatives there are still those who cling to a limited definition of love.
Notions of traditional marriage are dated as some of these images we have all grown up with.
Wedding Bells
Vintage Illustration Wedding Day by Pruett Carter 1948 Ladies Home Journal
Like the appearance of the first crocuses, each spring would bring with it a new crop of bridal and wedding themed imagery.
Every magazine you flipped through, every ad you saw, painted the same glowing picture of the inevitability of marriage. For most of the past century girls on the fast track to matrimony were convinced that the basic occupation of every girl was choosing a man to marry.
Vintage Saturday Evening Post Cover Illustration by Constantin Alajalov 6/1/46 “Kid sister tries on wedding dress.”
And what gal didn’t close her eyes and imagine her wedding shower, filled with all that latest Wear-ever pressure cookers, copper bottom Revere Ware and her very own silver-plate?
Vintage Ad Presto Cooker 1948 ” Presto Cookers Make Lucky Brides Happy Homemakers”
“Dream of arranging your table for two-his place, your place-with all the Community silver plate you need. Dream of entertaining-proudly-knowing your guests will whisper “Isn’t she lucky- It’s Community!”
Vintage Ad Community Silver 1946 illustration by Jon Whitcomb
“This would be for keeps. You’ve dreamed…forever…of this moment! You’ve lived…forever…for this minute. You start forever with this minute. This is for keeps.”
Human Rights Campaign logo for Marriage Equality
Everybody Say I Do!
And now marriage equality can be for keeps.
SCOTUS’s landmark marriage equality case in 2013 striking down Defense of Marriage Act brought us one step closer to defeating discrimination, ensuring all Americans are treated equally under the law, and finally removing some of the barriers for Gays and Lesbians.
And now at last at last there is full participation in the American Dream, including marriage.
The Right Is Wrong
The fact that most American are ready to evolve and embrace gay marriage is terrific and the swiftness of this shift is amazing.
It wasn’t long ago that the very notion of gay marriage was inconceivable if not down right frightening to most of the public.
In the early 1970’s as gay rights became more vocal, pamphlets were produced filled with dire warnings of the dangers of homosexuality and the “coming revolution” invading the mainstream.
In a 1972 homophobic comic booklet entitled “Gay Blade”, they ominously predicted a future filled with…gasp….gay marriage.
In 1972, the year this comic was published, the Supreme Court ruled against same-sex marriage in a one sentence decision “for want of a substantial federal question.”
These small comics published by the Christian right-wing Chick Publications were filled with dire warnings of the dangers of homosexuality and the “coming revolution” invading the mainstream. The small 3″x5″ comics sold cheaply in bulk making it handy for you to spread the hateful message everywhere you went- in phone booths, tables, Laundromats, school lockers, windshield
Called “chick tracts” these small comic booklets, approximately 20 pages in length, were short Evangelic themed stories created by Jack Chick an American Fundamentalist. Chick Publications, who boast on their current website–“publishing cartoon gospel tracts and equipping Christians for evangelism for fifty years.”
“The Gay Blade” ( originally written in 1972, revised in 1984 and now out of print) borrowed several of its frames from a 1971 Life Magazine photo essay on the Gay Liberation movement, but with the images altered to make gay men look more depraved and stereotypically feminized.
Chick tracts are unequivocal and explicit in their opposition to homosexuality and repeatedly employ themes such as:
1.The belief that God hates homosexuality and considers it to be sinful and
2. The true nature of homosexuality is revealed in the Christian fundamental interpretation of the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah story.
Since 1961 Chick has cranked out tract after tract to “help sinners see the light, believing that Jesus can deliver anyone from Homosexuality and make them a new person.”
The fear mongering continues over 40 years later.
Can This Marriage Be Saved?
The Evangelical comics seem ludicrous if not downright laughable now, but ironically not a lot has changed among some Christian groups, especially when it comes to gay marriage.
New York’s Archbishop Timothy Dalton quoted in the national Catholic Register, warned his flock:“You think it’s going to stop with this? You think now bigamists are going to want their rights to marry? You think somebody that wants to marry his sister is going to now say: “I have a right?’ I mean, it’s the same principle, isn’t it?”
Conservatives are desperate to hold onto the traditional definition of marriage.
Back in 2013 after the DOMA ruling Think Progress reported that some Fox News contributors claimed that Marriage Equality would actually criminalize Christianity.
“As the Supreme Court weighs the merits of allowing gay and lesbian Americans the freedom to marry, right-wing anti-equality advocates are cranking up fear mongering claiming that a world of marriage equality is one that would functionally ban Christians from practicing their religion.”
“Two Fox contributors made dire predictions along those lines. Todd Starnes speaking on American Family Radio, argued that “persecution (of Christians) like we have never seen it” had “already started” as a consequence of the marriage equality movement.
“Another Fox News contributor, Erik Erikson went further. Writing on RedState a conservative blog, Erikson fantasized about a world where the US government began terrorizing Christian institutions, shuttering Christian business for opposing marriage equality, and labeling Christians themselves criminals.”
“Within a year or 2 we will see Christian schools attacked for refusing to admit students whose parents are gay. We will see churches suffer the loss of their tax exempt status for refusing to hold gay weddings. We will see private businesses shut down because the refuse to treat as legitimate that which perverts Gods own established plan.”
Note: As the Conservative Right predictably goes into seizures over the legalization of same sex marriage, they’ll be glad Obamacare is there to help them!
#LOVEWINS
Copyright (©) 2015 Sally Edelstein All Rights Reserved
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