C_Clayton_Jones
Diamond Member
Personally, I don't give a damn if two people of the same sex want to live their lives together for as long as they remain alive. That's their business, not mine.
I am however, interested in how this affects the social construct of our society.
Typically, in the past, the family unit has consisted of one father and one mother in the household when it comes to raising a family (which includes children). For the purpose of this discussion, I am choosing to ignore divorce (single parents) and remarriage (step siblings/step parents).
So, lets take homosexual marriage as a potential family unit. Two women married, or two men married and children in the family. With homosexual marriage, we are now saying that is the equivalent family unit as one mother and one father with children in a family. Please note, I am not saying that a homosexual couple (male or female) is any less capable of raising children than a heterosexual couple, just that homosexual marriage would now make them equal familial units.
If that equivalence is acknowledged, then are we not also expected to remove women from the protected class of being considered a minority? Are we not also expected to remove homosexuals, bisexuals and transgendered people from the protected class of being considered a minority? After all, we have just declared them equal when it comes to the social construct of families. What about registering for the draft, or serving in the military? Should we now require women to register for the draft? And yes, I do know that some homosexuals and some women are already asking for equal treatment in the military, but the draft is forced, not voluntary.
I think that these are blurry line that people need to consider when it comes to homosexual marriage. It is a change to our social construct that can impact our society much more than just the marriage aspect.
Youre blending and confusing a number of different, unrelated issues.
The only issue is that of same-sex couples equal access to the law, as mandated by the 14th Amendment.
The issue has nothing to do with minority status, the draft or protected classes other than same-sex couples.
I see it as equal treatment (equal to marry) requires the equal treatment in other aspects such as the draft, and removing protected status when it comes to other social issues.
I'm just saying that if we want to change social constructs it has ramifications beyond just the marriage part. Those are things we need to keep in mind.
Other equal treatment issues are addressed on their own merits, case by case. If a given class of persons believes their rights are in jeopardy, they may file suit in Federal court seeking relief, just as those seeking equal access to marriage law did.
The Constitution doesnt work like the Endangered Species Act, there is no protected status to remove. A suspect class of persons must first challenge a law, amendment, or measure they believe to be offensive to the Constitution.