‘How Many Gay People Must God Create Before We Accept That He Wants Them Around?’
by Tommy Christopher |
While the topic hasn’t been in the news much since the Justice Department’s decision not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, the battle over same-sex marriage rages on in the states. During ahearing on a proposed constitutional ban on same sex marriage in Minnesota, Democratic state Rep. Steve Simon asked a rhetorical question that elegantly crystallized the issue, and despite the measure’s advancement along party lines, could prove an effective rallying cry for marriage equality.Simon spoke about the question of “nature vs. nurture,” wondering if sexual orientation could fairly be compared with “skateboarding or gardening,” and drew a round of applause when he posed the question, “How many gay people must God create before we accept that he wants them around?”
It was a compelling moment, but the entirety of Simon’s comments were just as compelling. From the beginning, he cannily identifies the problem with such measures, that they are largely based on religious justification.
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