The night that the war broke out
I think May 17th will be remembered as a great day for civil rights in America. Today is the anniversary of the Brown vs. Board decision and, coincidentally, today, May 17th, 2004, sees the first day that gays can marry in America, or at least in part of it.
Less extreme opponents of gay marriage often say that 'marriage' should be reserved for a man and a woman -- let gays have 'civil unions' instead, they say.
Unfortuantely, America is in the business of ensuring equality for its citizens. Even if a 'civil union' is equal to marriage in all but name, it is still something separate from marriage. As Brown so famously established, separate is not equal.
Social progress has always been marked by an increase in personal sovereignty. In America, we cherish the notion that less government is more. Today we have taken a step toward pushing the government out of one more aspect of our lives, gay or straight. A more conservative value, I couldn't imagine.
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