One of the most outlandish legislative proposals
we've ever heard was offered last week in the
Delaware Legislature.
A bill was actually introduced that would effectively
ban same-sex marriages, and deny recognition for
those performed in other states.
As is often the case with misguided legislative efforts,
the rationale behind this bill is that homosexuality is
"immoral before the eyes of God" according to the
bills proponents.
Clearly, God is concerned that two people who live
together, share living expenses and income and
raise families, or in other words are married in
every other sense, may actually file joint tax
returns.
God is worried that they may inherit one
another's property, or receive social-security death
benefits. God's insurance advisors are concerned that the claims
of spouses in same-sex marriages will have to be given the
same consideration as those in conventional marriages.
To cloak such mean-spirited legislation in the robe
of religious self-rightousness is an old trick, and
one we hope won't work much longer. It's not morality
these people are worried about, it's economy.
Delaware is not only the corporate capital of the
world, it's also becoming the insurance capital of
the country as well. We suspect that the denial of
benefits to same-sex spouses has more to do with
actuarial tables than it has to do with The Book
of Acts.
We believe that our legislators are more concerned
about general social meltdown than morality,
and they know that families, no matter what kind,
are good for society. Families provide stability and
security for children who are in turn less likely to grow
up to be psychopaths.
From our view, our society needs all the families it can
get, and a family is a family, no matter who wears the
pants in it.
April 14, 1996 Charles Paparella The Shore Journal
(shhh.... don't ask, don't tell.)