Gay Marriage: A question of civil rights

By Marsha Feinland

Every adult should have the right to marry

In the United States, the institution of marriage controls our right to such matters as child custody, hospital visitation, and retirement income. It is also the most common and socially accepted form of a committed relationship between two adults. To deprive any couple of the right to marry is discrimination. We cannot allow discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, just as we no longer allow "miscegenation" laws to prohibit interracial marriage.

As the U.S. Senate takes up a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in time for pre-election posturing by the right wing, we should study the poses assumed by the two senators from California. Both Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer were opposed to gay marriages in San Francisco when they were briefly legalized. This time, we will probably see them pointing out that the proposed amendment is "unnecessary," "inappropriate," or "not the business of the federal government."

My position is that a constitutional amendment or any law banning gay marriage is unjust, discriminatory and absolutely wrong. As long as the institution exists, everyone has the right to marry.