To many, marriage is a very personal matter. It is a private decision that should be made between two people, their families and, for many, their clergy.
Former New York Republican Senate Majority Leader has come out for marriage equality. The retired legislator from Albany states, “It’s time. Now. For the government to back off, let people make their own life decisions, and about how they care about and who they don’t care about….”
Although CBS 6 of Albany’s reporter claims that is not a very “Republican” position, believing in limited government, personal responsibility and fundamental freedoms certainly is a conservative position!
Help make the conservative case for marriage equality by taking action now!
“I think that freedom means freedom for everyone,” replied the former V.P. “As many of you know, one of my daughters is gay and it is something we have lived with for a long time in our family. I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish. Any kind of arrangement they wish.”
Often forgotten in the debate over marriage rights are the rights of the children of same-sex couples–and the protections that come from having their parents married under the law. Susan Salomone of Syracuse speaks out about what marriage means to her family and children.
“It’s really a protection for our family,” Susan Salomone said about the prospect of gay marriage in New York. “Jean and I have wills and other protections. But it’s so important for us to be able to protect the kids. … We’ve been together so long. We’ve established our relationship amongst our friends, our family, our church. It would be nice to have it legalized, so we’re completely protected.”
Gays and lesbians are a vital part of our communities. They are doctors, teachers, firefighters, emergency personnel and neighbors. In this way, marriage equality is also about supporting good citizens and strengthening our communities. When a committed gay couple seeks to declare their love for one another and get married, the whole community benefits from the added stability and strength of that family. On top of that, we don’t give up anything by sharing responsibilities and protections with those whom we love.
That’s why I support marriage equality. It is the best and fairest way to grant gay and lesbian neighbors and family members the protections and responsibilities that they need to provide for their family and give back to their community.
As Republicans, we understand the importance of strong communities. Last week, the New York Assembly passed the marriage bill with the support of five Republican Assembly members. Now, the bill goes before the state Senate, where Republican senators will make the difference on whether the bill becomes law or dies. Once again, New York has the opportunity to make a statement about Republican values and fairness by passing the marriage bill.
Assemblywoman Janet Duprey has it right. Same-sex marriage is a civil-rights issue, and on that, the government has only one choice: to come down heavily in favor of the civil rights of everyone.
Maybe your religion frowns on homosexuality. That might certainly affect how you and your fellow worshippers feel about the issue. But it wouldn’t be any of the government’s concern.
Maybe your personal morality says marriage should be only between a man and a woman. That would surely dictate that you personally oppose homosexual marriage. But it shouldn’t propel the government into making a law against it.
Possibly, you oppose homosexual marriages because benefits such as tax breaks would accrue to more people at your expense as a taxpayer. There, perhaps the government has some soul-searching to do. But if it’s going to be fair about things, why should sexual inclination be the litmus test for who gets benefits and who doesn’t?
Their conclusion: all New Yorkers should have the same right to marry under the law–and that’s the right one.
