Defense of Marriage Act repeal imminent

To say that the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, is tailored to defend the sanctity of marriage is a complete and absolute falsehood. Although the initial purpose was to defend the so-called sanctity of marriage, the law itself is nothing more than attempted systematic federal discrimination against homosexual couples — essentially codified homophobia. The reasoning isn’t a protection of any sort of sanctity, it’s merely an expression by the religious right of their continued ignorance toward any sort of freedom that doesn’t put them on top.

To say that same-sex marriage threatens heterosexual marriage is like saying my choice of diet threatens your health. The two have nothing to do with each other. If your marriage is threatened by two committed individuals being recognized as a legitimate couple, then I’d take a look at your marriage before you take a look at mine.

The fact is, the sanctity of marriage has already been marred by divorce and, ironically, elected officials spouting out this ridiculous notion of protection of sanctity are the very threats to the institution themselves (I’m looking at you, Newt Gingrich).

Let’s be honest, the religious right and those who are in favor of DOMA don’t really have the best track record in terms of how equality will impact the nation as a whole. Aren’t these the same individuals who said the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which prohibited openly gay U.S. armed forces members from serving, would collapse the military morale and lead to a systematic defeat as a whole for the armed forces? Ironically, the effects were the opposite.

“The repeal actually improved trust and cohesion among the troops,” Tammy Schultz, national security and joint warfare professor at the U.S. Marine Corps Academy, told the Huffington Post. So, if the religious right was wrong about this, and the effects of the repeal were actually an improvement, what gives them any sort of credibility that the repeal of DOMA will do anything but the same for the country?

If more concrete evidence showing DOMA is a mistake would help, how about looking at our neighbor to the north, Canada? With nationwide same-sex marriage recognition, there is no measurable negative impact and there are no signs that there are any to come. Canada isn’t the only example of this. Across the globe, 10 countries have legalized same-sex marriages and no “collapse” of any kind has followed.

Let’s face it, gay marriage is going to happen and it’s just a matter of time. State by state, the country is legalizing same-sex unions so the amount of time DOMA even has to still be effective and relevant to the nation is dwindling quickly. The younger generation doesn’t care. We’re not so prideful that we feel others’ love lives are our business. If someone is committed, happy and ready to settle down, more power to them.

DOMA does nothing but systematically tell a percentage of the population that it isn’t equal. That’s not the America I want to live in. The America I want to live in, and the America I have been taught about, exhibits freedom and equality no matter who you are.

As Andrew Rosenthal properly put it in his New York Times opinion article, “There is no social purpose behind DOMA, and no constitutional validity. It is driven entirely by religious intolerance and homophobia. It’s good to see the courts taking action to get rid of it.