M. Scott Carter, The Daily Record Newswire
Like millions of other American families, the people who comprise Clan Carter are a unique and diverse lot. Our history goes back to the beginning of Oklahoma and includes thieves, scoundrels, heroes, regular folks and even a couple of dudes who made the run of ‘93.
There are also people of mixed races, Native Americans, blacks and, yes, even gays.
Each of them bleeds red.
This week, as the Supreme Court of the United States told the rest of the world that discrimination based on sexual orientation was not a good idea, two members of my family quietly celebrated. Those celebrations were small, dignified and included the simple acknowledgement that they, too, were worthy of protection by the federal government.
But had they listened to many of our state and federal leaders, they would have heard a different message — a message cloaked in religious dogma and bigotry that said God doesn’t like gays. They were told by our religious leaders that the Supreme Court can’t determine what makes a true marriage. They were told a ruling that allows gays to marry undermines the fabric of our nation. They were told they were less than equal.
Funny, those arguments sounded familiar.
Years ago, Orval Faubus, as governor of Arkansas, said the issue of segregation should be decided by the public and not the politicians.
“That’s not in the province of the duties of the governor of the state,” Faubus said. “Each school district is an entity all its own, governed by a board of directors, selected by the people, and if we’re to have any democracy in this country, then the people must have some say in their own affairs.”
In short, if people want to be racist, then they should be allowed to be racist.
The funny thing is, then as now, the majority of the American public disagreed.
Now, instead of working to be inclusive and making sure that each resident of this country has the opportunity to thrive and succeed, many of our political leaders duck tough issues by claiming it’s not the government’s job to interfere.
For years I’ve heard how government is too big, how government should get out of people’s lives or how this issue or that issue isn’t the role of government.
This week, I heard those same arguments again.
The issue of gay marriage, we’re told, isn’t something that should be decided by the courts or government, but by the Almighty. According to many of our religious leaders, God doesn’t like gays.
God, we are told to believe, only likes white Protestant people who vote Republican, live in the suburbs, have 2.3 children, drive American-made cars and spend the weekends watching football.
For God, there is no room for difference or diversity. A person who dares to love another of the same sex is making a choice and that choice, we’re told, is deviant.
This week, five members of the Supreme Court said they thought differently. They said that in this great, diverse country there was room for same-sex marriages. They said, simply, the law should be applied equally.
Like many of the court’s previous decisions, the overturn of the Defense of Marriage Act will become a milestone in U.S. history. For many, it will be remembered as yet another step toward the destruction of the country.
For many more, however, including those in my family, it will be a milestone — a reminder that equal protection under the law should apply to everyone, no matter who they love.
