A Homily on Homosexuality
In America’s capital, gay marriage is now legal, highlighting the role of religion in the struggle for homosexual rights.
AUR’s official stance is that the push for gay marriage is well-intentioned but misguided: although we do believe in equal rights and dignity for gays and straights before the law, we also believe that the government should not discriminate based on relationship status and should not be involved in anything that is — in the overwhelming majority of cases — a religious institution.
The truly progressive position is that the institution of marriage belongs to churches and cultural organizations, and therefore has no place in legislatures and courtrooms. Still, the legalization of gay marriage reaches toward social justice, even if it falls short of achieving it.
The larger issue of homosexuality in society remains in play, and forces opposed to gay rights will certainly fight to have gay marriage in DC (and elsewhere) repealed, renamed, or outright banned. The governor of Virginia has recently declared anti-gay discrimination in state government acceptable, and the ability of homosexuals to serve openly in the American military continues to be obstructed by the infamous “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
Although there are many arguments against homosexuality, the anti-gay movement draws key inspiration from religion, specifically Christian scripture. It is this inspiration that is the subject of this Thursday’s homily.