What Would Dumbledore Do?

Tho i dont agree with same sex marriage, i accept those people who are and do. I wholeheartedly believed in Dumbledore and his ability to love. He was an amazing man and should be respected the was he was.

…and change is coming, along with a new generation of people who love others for WHO they are and not WHAT they are…

Everyone should have a little love and what should it matter if that love is for a man or woman. Everyone acts like it’s a bad thing and it’s not. There is no debate, governments should allow this.

I do not think so. See Dumbledore did want to see more love in the world but he actually had morals, values and standards. He would not have aggreed with something so immoral such as same sex marriage, and nor do I.

I hate to be negative about something so positive, but we don’t technically *know* that Dumbledore would have been for same sex marriage. There are Christians who live with those feelings but don’t act on them because they believe them to be wrong. That said, I would imagine he would have been happy to hear about it as you said, considering he had such a loving heart. You just have to consider that he was also born a long time ago and not state things as facts if they’re not.

I actually believe it’s probably wrong myself in the eyes of God, though it’s an aspect of my religion with which I’ve really struggled. That said, I’m completely for the legalisation of gay marriage simply because I see that as a matter of religious freedom. We haven’t got a right to dictate morality to anyone, because we all have different beliefs. While gay marriage is illegal, we don’t have full religious freedom in our society.

With all due respect Andrew (and I have huge amounts of respect for you), I’ve considered biblical interpretation very heavily and for many years. Using the bible to do those things you mention was and is ridiculous, but the statements of homosexual acts as sinful is hardly in the same league as those interpretations. I don’t believe my interpretation would be consistent if I was to pick and choose passages, if I was to discount the negative ones just because it’s convenient. There’s a difference between twisting passages with multiple interpretations and simply ignoring blatent ones.

The question isn’t so much interpretation, it’s more about fallibility. Is the bible really the word of God, as it was supposed to be and protected by God? If so, then although many of the interpretations of the bible have been crazy, it’s very difficult to have a consistent interpretation that talks its way around those homosexuality-related passages. On the other hand, if the bible’s message can be changed by man and is more about the spirit of it, then you can try to follow the spirit of Jesus and the Christian messages as a whole and pick and choose your passages. Personally I don’t like that much, but because I found it so difficult to deal with the homosexuality issue, I considered it very seriously a few years back. I’ve since come to the opinion that: “I think it’s probably sinful and that there’s some higher wisdom in it that we can’t understand.” That’s my view, and since I look at life and all people from a position of love, I believe I’m entitled to it.

My best friend is bisexual (actively and proudly), so I hardly think it’s love vs hate in my case. You can believe whatever you like, and I love how the world is opening up to new ways of looking at things, looking to love instead of hate. Just please don’t make the misguided assumption that everyone who believes homosexual acts are sinful are homophobic and/or hateful, because that’s just not true. These days and in the circles I run in, it takes a lot of courage to stand up and say that you think it’s probably sinful, just as in most circles it takes a lot of courage to stand up and say you’re gay. I don’t hate anyone, certainly not the gay community. I don’t judge people (or in your words “socially crucify [the] innocent”), I just tell people how I see the bible if they ask me or if I think it’s appropriate to give balance. (Though I always try to talk about the opposing view as well.) And I’m certainly not homophobic.

That said, sometimes it’s appropriate to keep quiet about views like mine. There are a lot of people who use the idea that homosexuality might not be morally right to be very hateful towards people. Those that condemn anyone who dares to say they’re gay and proud, who make people feel judged and small… those are the people who make the world a terrible place and who give Christians a bad name. Those people upset me terribly. I do however think that this community of ours is open minded enough to accept that not everything is black and white and not everyone who believes something is the same. There are a lot of homophobic and hateful people out there, but it doesn’t mean we’re all like that.

Ultimately it’s not my place to judge anyone or to tell them what they should believe. We each have our own minds to make up, and Dumbledore is a wonderful character to be influenced by when we form those ideals and beliefs. The idea that you can love anyone regardless of gender is something I relate to very strongly, because the most important thing in this world is that we show love for each other. That’s what Jesus taught most of all, and that’s what Dumbledore believed in most strongly. I just wanted to give balance to the topic, because so often it’s dominated by people with extreme views. And even if it *is* sinful, it’s also true that God forgives all our sins, and if you’ve lived a life full of love and caring for the world then you’re a wonderful person whatever your sexuality.

I really hope that given your knowledge of me as a person you can at least respect where I’m coming from Andrew. I don’t mean to cause negative feelings in people, I just think we shouldn’t shy away from considering things from all angles, provided we can do it with love and humility.

I believe that anything you cannot help is not a sin. This philosophy may cover more than many people would like–after all, how can a rapist or murderer help it if his needs were not met? Call me condemning, but I think that you can keep yourself from committing sin if your willpower is strong enough, no matter what. After all, Voldemort may be so willing to consider Muggles inhuman and kill them so easily because of his unmet psychological needs, but remember that he decided that Muggles should be killed–even in his environment of prejudiced children, I doubt that you can put a great amount of blame onto environmental factors for his decision to murder.

Okay, I’m starting to contradict myself and sound like an idiot. The point is, there are few things that you really and truly cannot control about yourself, and one of them is sexual orientation. You may still argue about this and whether it is moral to act on it against any beliefs you may have, but that’s not the point. I think that there is no reason that gay marriage is any different from straight, nor should it be illegal. Surely something that would hurt Dumbledore even if he was not gay himself–making a union between two people that genuinely love each other illegal! I don’t care who the lovers are, making marriage illegal for anyone truly in love is cruelty of the highest order in my book.

So I think that homosexuality is not a sin, or at least it shouldn’t be, nor should it be treated as one by the government. I think that if the government wants to be fair, it should have no opinion on the issue–but then again, perhaps that should be true for even things that hurt few.

I think that if we MUST sort everything into sin and non-sin while on Earth, a good rule of thumb is that if it harms people or violates their rights, forbid it as much as you can–depending, of course, on the scale of the crime. If it doesn’t hurt anyone but people who simply don’t support it and probably aren’t even involved, there’s no reason it should be illegal.

But I’m agnostic, so I don’t pretend that I know whether any divine beings or essences there may be out there think that homosexuality is a sin. I don’t know if being gay sends you to Hell, or if they care about how you love rather than who you love. My uncle said on this issue that he’s simply glad that he’s not the one that has to decide, and so am I.

That’s my two cents on this issue. I say Dumbledore would be accepting, and whatever side of the issue you’re on, it’s only fair to the homosexual community that you cut them some slack for being who they are–and maybe even applaud or respect them for having the guts to do so.

Andrew:

Thank you for understanding my struggle and where I’m coming from… I admit I was very worried that you wouldn’t understand and that it would draw a line between us, but you’ve impressed me yet again with your empathy and intelligence. I was so happy that you didn’t condemn me that I got a little emotional reading your reply. I’m grateful to be part of such a wonderful and open minded community and I’m very glad I met you.

OBFC:

I actually agree with most of what you said, and totally understand where you’re coming from. The way I see it is this: you can’t help being gay, but you can help acting on it, as hard as it would be. People are often born with things that make their lives very unfair and hard, such as when people are born with disabilities or psychological issues. People are also made to suffer because of the sins of others, such as when people are murdered or attacked. Because of those two things, it makes it possible that homosexuality is something that God considers a sad thing we’re expected to struggle through in this world. (Disclaimer: I’m not calling homosexuality a disability, I was just using that as an example of how some things are out of our control.) Sometimes circumstances make things hard for you in life, and the way we respond to those circumstances is what makes us who we are and gives us individuality. I should also probably add that if anything is sinful according to the bible it’s homosexual *sex* specifically, because that’s what the passages in the bible refer to. It’s not saying you shouldn’t feel love towards someone of the same sex or spend a lot of time with them.

The marriage thing is more about what marriage is supposed to be, in that according to the bible a marriage is there for two people who intend to procreate. People these days often don’t realise that, but technically the idea of two people of the opposite sex getting married but not having kids isn’t really how marriage is described in the bible either, for exactly the same reason. It has a very specific definition which has been expanded over time, so it’s not so much about exclusion as it is the change in what marriage is considered to be. You can argue that marriage isn’t as simple as a Christian ceremony these days, and that it’s taken a more extended meaning in the modern world. I see that as a very valid argument in support of gay marriage.

However when it comes to the law, I agree with you 100%. To be frank, whether it’s a sin or not is pretty much irrelevant when it comes to law, because the law should be independent of religious belief. In a multi-faith society, what right have Christians got to say that gay marriage should be illegal? It flies in the face of religious freedom.

I also agree that the law’s job should be to protect people. Like you said about sin, if the act hurts other people, then it should be illegal. For example I don’t agree with prostitution either, but I think it should be legal because it doesn’t impact anyone but those who are involved in it. I would never get involved in it myself and I think it’s damaging to one’s soul, but I don’t think that idea should be forced on people by law.

And I very much respect how brave the homosexual community are. I think it’s wonderful when people stand up for what they believe in, especially when those beliefs are about love.

Can anyone provide any dissenting argument against same-sex marriage without resorting to religion? Because it always seems to boil down to this elephant in the room.

I still find it unfathomable that religious conservative right-wingers still concede that sexual orientation is a choice. Utterly despicable considering the amount of pain and ridicule many young gays and lesbians have suffered through in their lives.

As a self proclaimed Atheist-Humanist, I’m pro-gay marriage/adoption and take solace in the fact that it is only a matter of time before equality if achieved.

In Cali when there was the whole prop 8 issue, the way they won that campaign was by saying that church leaders could be forced to marry people of the same sex, and people often also say that the way these frameworks work you could get people marrying sheep next. Both those points weren’t entirely true, though the lack of detail in the law made the former a possible interpretation of the law, the latter was complete nonsense. They used scare tactics to win the campaign.

Even were Dumbledore not gay himself, I find it laughable that anybody could presume he’d be against same-sex marriage. He believed so strongly in the power of love–in fact, were he a Muggle amongst us right now, I’m sure he’d be a campaigner for the cause, knowing the power of love would win in the end.

I don’t pretend to have an unbiased opinion, completely the opposite in fact, but to put it bluntly, religious arguments haven’t got a foot, nor even a toe, to stand on. My completely biased opinion, both on gay marriage and on the religious factor, stem from my proud gay mother and from my profound philosophical studies and conversations (with a catholic best friend no less). Religion has nothing to stand on. The Catholic church has admitted that when the bible was copied down from it’s original Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament) things were discredited. And anyone who’s done a study of those languages knows that many of the words we put so much stock in have separate translations. The bible has not only been used to persecute the Jewish, the Muslim, or even fellow Christians with different beliefs than those who used, but to create wars. Why did Constantine die? In an effort to “save” his people with Christ. Died because he brought an army to his great city and felled any who opposed his newest religion. All of them being proud Jews or Wiccans, they were slaughtered, and he was caught in the crossfires, but not before the entire city had been practically wiped “clean”. Why did nine million women, more than a hundred thousand men, and countless more children, die at the hands of the church and those who claimed to serve the church? In the beginning, for the ones that really were witches, it was because they believed in a Mother Goddess that loved all under her shield of night, with a companion by her side. Because they believed in a power that did not condemn even the most evil, but felt sorry for those who had lost their way to light. And these “witches”, usually town outcasts without even a sliver of Magick, or a want of Magick, most of them adament church goers, were slaughtered, burned alive, drowned, or otherwise brutally incapacitated. All for a book that no one seems to understand. When Paul, once Saul, had tried to wipe out the Christians, did not god make him blind so that he may see the light of his ways? When the Egyptians tried to enslave, otherwise wipe-out, the Hebrews, did not God deliver them from the hateful hands of those who would (and had) spill their blood for sport? Does centuries of condemnation of Christians, written in the bible they so love, give those same Christians the right to condemn everyone else for twice as many centuries? Perhaps for them, that’s precisely what it does. But still, the slaughter, the soul-crushing chains they tie around those who are different, the freedoms they refuse of those who have never harmed anyone simply because it is “immoral” in the eyes of god, is hypocrisy in it’s finest. What about gay-bashing? It’s the same as when the Egyptians enslaved Hebrews, whipping them into submission. It’s the same damn thing, if to a lesser extent. Is it not a law of the bible that he who has not sinned be the one to throw the first stone. So please, if being gay truly is a sin, step forward if you are clean. You who are married, any who haven’t lusted after another, if only in thought, any who haven’t strayed to thoughts of the hottest actor or actress when lying with your spouse. If never have you sinned, even those who uphold the church, come forward and claim your prize. There are none who can do so without lying. Absolutely no one can claim never to have sinned. So condemn who you wish, it is not your judgment that matters.
The thing that really cuts the rug from under the Churches feet is this: Separation of church and state!!!!!!!!!!! The government, by taking into account religious views when deciding themselves whether to pass something, is breaking it’s own laws. You cannot keep religion out of voting, just like you can’t keep ignorance out of the minds of those with hatred in their hearts, but it should never have a baring when the government alone is deciding. These recent raids on gay bars in Dallas, and now the one in Fort Worth, are perfect examples of why that rule was put in place. No one should have to suffer for what they believe in. I’m a proud Christian, as is my mom, and I choose tolerance. Condemn the gays, it is your right, but remember well, there is only one true voice of god, and he already gave his speech on judgment.

Calling Dumbledore’s Army:

Although marriage is important, the civil rights associated with marriage are even more important. Currently, all gay and lesbian Americans are denied federal marriage rights. One such federal marriage right is immigration. If a gay or lesbian American falls in love with a person from another country, they are unable to sponsor their partner for legal residency in the USA the same way heterosexual citizens can. Since a lot of other progressive countries allow immigration rights for same sex relationships, gay and lesbian Americans are forced to either leave the US or leave their partner. There are approximately 36000 same sex binational couples in the US. WE MUST STOP THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT FROM BREAKING UP SAME SEX BINATIONAL COUPLES.

For more information visit:

http://www.immigrationequality.org

I am gay, and I’m not objective at all on this issue, because as a U.S citizen, I have less rights than others. That’s wrong.

Personally, I don’t believe in God, but I’ve got a lot of friends (most of whom are gay or bi) who are extremely devout. The argument that God hates and condemns homosexuals is, I feel, just an excuse that allows bigoted people to express their own fear and hatred, and then claim it is the will of God.

In a world so full of intolerance, hate, genocide, hunger, suffering, war, and death, I think a little love – even if it’s not the type you personally feel or are used to – shouldn’t be discouraged. It should be protected, at the very least, by the law.

I get very angry when people say I could control my feelings, or change my orientation by will or prayer. When I first realized I was a lesbian, I did try to change – to FORCE myself to crush on a guy – and it failed. I am attracted to females only. I was born that way, and I will always be that way.

I just wish that the majority of people at large would stop being so xenophobic.

I think Dumbledore – who even if he were not gay, always protected the rights of those considered outcasts or “evil” in society – would agree. We all need some more love in this world.

It is amazing to see such thoughtful, considerate dialogue on this topic, and in a place I didn’t quite expect to find it. I agree with many viewpoints presented here. I believe we each are working through our own faith, finding our own way, developing our own alchemy in the way we view the world. If one thing is sure, it is that coming from a place of love and understanding is the best way to ensure that we do our part to make the world better tomorrow.

David: Very astute observations on the original intent and purposes of marriage. I do agree, though, that the modern definitions have somewhat changed that original purpose. People do get married for all sorts of reasons, and most of them are legal ones. Strange for affairs of the heart to have so much to do with the law. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be married right now, if it weren’t for the societal and religious viewpoints of those around me. I know my husband didn’t care one way or the other if we had a piece of paper that somehow “solemnified” our union, or made our love any more valid. We do not have children, and we likely never will. In that original sense of “marriage,” (marriage for the purposes of procreation,) what we have done was pointless. We basically caved in to the societal pressure to fit into some kind of expected parameter in which love can fit. And yet I can’t regret being legally tied to a man I love, regardless of how we are viewed by the law, or others. Once again, it comes down to love.

If I’ve seen anything in this world, it’s that love can come in so many different forms, and sometimes from an avenue where you least expect it. Thank you all for coming to this forum with such love and open-mindedness in your hearts, and my fervent wish is that we can all continue to seek and to learn and grow. I feel very glad indeed that people can still have such balanced and well-intentioned conversation about even the most volatile of subjects. What Would Dumbledore Do indeed. I think he’d be very proud of what this has become, and in Professor McGonagall’s words, he’d be glad to know there was a little more love in the world.

I am not sure exactly how Dumbledore would feel about Gay marriage, but since he is gay it would make sense that he would support it.

Reference interview with J.K Rowling at Carnegie hall Oct 20, 2007:
The question was: Did Dumbledore, who believed in the prevailing power of love, ever fall in love himself?

JKR: My truthful answer to you… I always thought of Dumbledore as gay. [ovation.] … Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald, and that that added to his horror when Grindelwald showed himself to be what he was. To an extent, do we say it excused Dumbledore a little more because falling in love can blind us to an extent? But, he met someone as brilliant as he was, and rather like Bellatrix he was very drawn to this brilliant person, and horribly, terribly let down by him. Yeah, that’s how i always saw Dumbledore. In fact, recently I was in a script read through for the sixth film, and they had Dumbledore saying a line to Harry early in the script saying I knew a girl once, whose hair… [laughter]. I had to write a little note in the margin and slide it along to the scriptwriter, “Dumbledore’s gay!” [laughter] “If I’d known it would make you so happy, I would have announced it years ago!”

Wow, David. I’m flattered that anyone would give me such a detailed reply, nevertheless with such sensible ideas. Usually anyone willing to give such a thought-out reply is heavily debating it, but I found yours full of nice things and thoughtful, not-so-controversial ideas. I’m glad to know that my opinion can affect someone enough that he is willing to give such a comment on it. As for the comment itself, marriage has changed. A lot. In fact, the very reason, as discussed, for most marriages is entirely different. That’s one of the reasons I think we should look closely at some of the laws we have in all areas. Even if we may have lived with them and been fine for a long time, perhaps something else would work in such a circumstance.

Henry: Yes, that’s something that annoys me as well in many cases. Even though I am a former Christian, it bothers me a lot when people cannot talk about any controversy without starting to talk endlessly about their great Lord and Savior. However, homosexuality is very tied-up with religion, because for most people their stance on homosexuality is heavily affected by religion. Many people wouldn’t be very bothered by it if their religious beliefs didn’t say or insinuate that it’s a bad thing.

Katelyn: Yours is another opinion that I like, and not just because it’s on the same side as me. The Bible has always been heavily misconstrued, because it is simply so vague. And maybe it’s better that way: if it were concise, maybe you would find something you really disagree with, and as much as you love the religion, you couldn’t shake it off. But lack of clarity opens the door to such wild and violent interpretations that we have to question even the general ones. And yours are very thought-provoking. Thank you for the insight. I agree: tolerance, just in case.

Sarah: It does bother me slightly that you seem to be closed- or narrow-minded on this issue. Justified it is, perhaps, and I agree with the things you are saying, but wouldn’t it make things a little better for everyone if you tried to see where the others are coming from? After all, these people really, truly believe that homosexuality is wrong. Unfair it is to condemn gays as total sinners, especially if they have no first-hand experience with the matter, but surely they have a good reason for feeling this way!

Vanessa: All I have to say about your post is thank you for joining the conversation; even if it is only to agree and compliment people, it’s still very nice to both join in and compliment. I thank YOU for being as mild and polite as the other people on this page.

To everyone commenting: thank you for doing so, and making it fun to share opinions and learn a thing or two along the way. I’m glad that there are people willing to be so soft-spoken, open-minded, and sweet to everyone, even if they disagree passionately. I wish all debates were like this! The world would certainly be a much better place!

I am surprised and genuinely impressed by the depth of responses to this question. I am sixteen years old, gay, and I have been out since November of my freshman year of high school. Though I am Jewish, and therefore not highly qualified to dispute or agree with the Bible, I will say this: It is thoroughly irresponsible of us to impose our religious will on others, no matter the circumstance. Trivial as it may seem, refusing to allow gay marriage on religious grounds would be quite like my refusing to allow anyone to eat pork because it “offends me.”

As Andrew wisely said, no matter how repulsive and difficult a thing may seem, no matter how contrary to the religious morals we have been taught since birth, it is our job to challenge our views for the betterment of humankind. This will give us not only moral clarity, but (I should hope) religious clarity as well.

As far as Dumbledore’s opinion goes, I find it outrageous to suggest (as some here have) that Dumbledore would not support equal marriage rights, that there “isn’t enough evidence” for us to assume he would. As JK Rowling would say, “HOW DARE YOU!?”

The entire basis for our appreciation and love of Dumbledore stems from his LOVE OF ALL THINGS, MAGICAL AND NON-MAGICAL ALIKE.”

I am usually a very tolerant person, but my patience wanes when people suggest that they’re “not exactly sure how Dumbledore would feel about gay marriage” because of the time in which we was born. As a wise activist once said, “Compassion is not something bound by time, it’s a basic human principle.”

But to those who are still in doubt, know that we, keepers of Dumbledore’s flame, will fight with every ounce of strength in our body until every person on this great earth can marry whomever they love.

I see several comments at the top written by people who haven’t read the last paragraph. As Dumbledore was gay, I highly doubt he’d see himself as immoral. Dumbledore is a highly accepting character; willing to take such hated creatures such as werewolves and half-giants under his wing. Even if he was not gay – he would be wholeheartedly in support of gay rights and same-sex marriage.

Gay rights is really all about love and acceptance. Those two qualities are seriously lacking in this world we live in, and Dumbledore has stressed many times how he thinks love will ultimately prevail.

So what would Dumbledore do? I think this article is correct – he would smile from wherever he is now that same-sex marriage is now legal in six countries and six U.S. states.

I tried to submit a reply to this post yesterday, but either it hasn’t been approved yet or was rejected. I hope the former, because I wasn’t really saying anything explosive our outrageous. But either way, I’d like to say that I agree with many of you, and I was surprised and pleased to discover the depth of your opinions.

I am sixteen years old, gay, and Jewish. I don’t think anyone will be too surprised when I say that I think equal marriage is (as the title says) “both moral AND essential.” At the same time, I definitely agree that we have to respect the opinions of “gay-bashers” and others.

We do not, however, have to accept our current legal circumstances.

If those against gay marriage have the right to fight against it, then certainly we have the right (and the duty, if we feel so inclined) to fight FOR it. But we cannot, as some have done with this touchy issue, allow ourselves, in escaping victimization, to become the offender.

I live in California, and after the Prop 8 results, two groups were heavily criticized by the media and by the gay community: black voters and Mormons.

Although it is statistically correct that most black voters voted FOR Prop 8 (meaning, AGAINST gay marriage), and the Mormon church did give large amounts of money to the campaign, we CANNOT ALLOW OURSELVES TO TURN OUR HATRED AGAINST BLACKS AND MORMONS.

It really saddens me when I see this happening, and I think Dumbledore would agree that it is not the solution. Albeit, the Church of Latter-Day Saints deserves harsh criticism, and perhaps a loss of its tax-exemption status, but if we launch a campaign of hatred against them, we are only bringing into the world more intolerance, more hatred — a fluttering veil that obscures what little love is left in the world.

As for black voters, religion may be a key factor. Poverty as a result of inequity and racism may galvanize intolerance. But ultimately, we cannot say that the African-American community as a whole should be castigated for their actions.

We must remember that it is only love that can ever hope to conquer hate, and that if we fill ourselves with hatred, even OUT OF LOVE, we are working against ourselves.

Without replying to everyone, I’d just like to reinforce what I was trying to say, since it seems to have been misinterpreted. Someone said above that Dumbledore was gay, therefore it’s highly unlikely he considered himself to be evil or morally wrong. I agree with this completely, but that wasn’t what I was saying.

There is nothing morally wrong in any reasonable Christian interpretation with having those feelings, only (debatably) with homosexual sex and (even more debatably) with marriage. Since we do not know that Dumbledore did either of those things, we cannot really know what he thought of it; we can only guess. The best guess is clearly that he didn’t have any moral problem with either of them, but to act like it is a certainty is to put words in his mouth. I’m not saying I don’t think Dumbledore would agree with this post, on the contrary I think he would, I’m just saying it’s not as certain as it’s made out to be. This is one of the reasons I don’t get along too well with fanfiction, because it’s very difficult to write someone else’s characters accurately unless you created them. He never talked about this topic, so we can only make educated guesses based on the things he did say. Plenty of people talk at length about love in the way Dumbledore does (after all, this is the main Christian message), but some of those same people also consider these things to be wrong.

Put simply, I was pointing out that an assumption has been made. That’s the main thing I wanted to say.

Technically, gays are not denied equal rights.

The Constitution of the United States does not explicitly or even implicitly say anything about marriage. The only part of the Constitution that could conceivably refer to marriage is the 14th Amendment, which says in part:

No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States… nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

But that isn’t the case. Homosexuals and heterosexuals BOTH are not allowed to marry a person of the same sex. In states that do not allow same-sex marriage, the laws are uniform. So because the U.S. Constitution does not specifically address the issue, the 10 Amendment says:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

This means that the issue is decided by the state governments, not the federal government.

The only legal avenues the homosexual community can pursue on the issue of same-sex marriage is to 1. vote on a referendum in their state, 2. to propose an amendment to either their state constitution or the U.S. Constitution, or 3. move to a state where same-sex marriage is allowed.

No one is being denied equal rights. This does not equate to the issue of slavery or to the Civil Rights movement.

@Tommy

Sorry, but you are wrong. Your skewed argument could possibly be considered correct up until 2004. As of 2004 same sex marriage became legal in the state of Massachusetts. Five other states eventually followed suit.

According to the Faith and Full credit clause in the US Constitution, the federal government is obliged the recognize all legal marriages performed in all states. Furthermore, all states are to recognize all marriages that are legal in the jurisdiction that they were performed.

BUT in 1996 President Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage act (DOMA) that prevents the US federal government from recognizing same sex marriage. DOMA also allows other states the right to not recognize legal marriages. So technically DOMA over reaches its authority and overrides the US Constitution; in particular the Faith and Full Credit Clause of the US Constitution. As we all know, the US Constitution is the supreme law of the land in the US, therefore, technically same sex couples are in fact having their Constitutional rights infringed upon. That’s discrimination.

As for your comment about all Americans can marry, they just have to marry someone of the opposite sex. Are you actually suggesting that gays should lie to their husband or wife about their true sexual orientation? Would you be happy if your son or daughter married a “closeted” gay or lesbian?

So yes, gay Americans are being denied equal rights. They are being denied the pursuit of happiness which is promised in the Declaration of Independence; “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. This is the Civil Rights issues of our time.

Thank you Nola. And in fact, a student-run gay rights protest movement has recently been dubbed “The New Civil Rights Movement.” Sorry, Tommy, but love always wins.