In last week’s decision by the Supreme Court of The United States of America to affirm that marriage between two individuals is a right that needs to be recognized by every state in this country, while there is much to be celebrated, there is still quite a long way to go. Just because slavery is illegal, and civil rights laws have passed, that doesn’t mean blacks are treated equally to this day. The same holds true with homosexual couples – there is still a long way to go before this segment of society will truly be treated as equals in society.
At the heart of the matter are the equal protection and due process clauses of the 14th Amendment. This means each state needs to recognize valid marriages from other states. Legal protection does not equal acceptance or even equal treatment. The fact that racism still persists to this day is testament to this fact.
This ruling has nothing to do with religion, though the dissenting minority opinion might wish to say it is hiding behind state’s rights. The fact that this ruling came down to a 5-4 decision also shows just how far we have to go. Despite clearly being a civic law that marriage be accepted from state to state, it just is not the case in practical everyday use. Secular marriage is about rights, rights of visitation, property, tax, etc. Not one religious freedom is being infringed upon.
While I welcome this decision with open arms, unlike many of my peers I am not going to say that love ruled the day. It has nothing to do with love. It has to do with basic rights that we as a society and a government afford married couples. This isn’t love winning. Do not get confused. We have a long way to go before love enters the equation.