It's about time. The President finally threw his weight around a non-issue that is, for some reason, an issue. It gets boring and repetitive to recite the preamble of the Declaration of Independence every time there is a need to talk about social justice, and you know how it reads anyhow, but really, it's 2012 and we are still debating basic human rights.
Obama's support for gay marriage today is an important, if belated step in the right direction. I distinctly remember my parents struggling to explain to me as a child why it was that six decades ago, black people in this country had to fight and sometimes die for basic rights. There are, of course explanations: a legacy of slavery and racism; etc; etc; etc. But there is no answer. Why did our society legally discriminate against people based on the color of their skin? There is no answer. Why, in 2012, do we still legally discriminate against people based on their sexuality? There may be explanations, but there is no answer. There can be no debate about a basic human right. We can debate the economy, or foreign involvements, or government spending. We cannot debate basic human rights.
One day, I'm sure I will struggle to explain to my children how it was that in 2012, the world's greatest nation, and one that was founded on equal rights for ALL people still legally discriminated against its own citizens because of their sexuality. Hopefully today's endorsement of gay marriage by the President, belated though it was, will bring America closer to being a country that actually espouses and embraces equal rights for everyone.
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