Does This Make You Angry?

Does this image evoke strong emotions from you? I'd imagine so, as it certainly did for me. This image is controversy at it's finest. It takes a hot topic- gay marriage- and brings it to light in a very relatable way.

I am a huge proponent for gay marriage and gay rights. Raised in a very forward-thinking household, I was taught that homophobia or bigotry toward homosexuals was the same as being racist- ignorant and not to be tolerated. Living in Maine, a very liberal state and one of the few that has legalized Gay Marriage, cemented this stance and today I voice my opinions on gay marriage loudly and as often as possible, much to the annoyance of some of my more conservative peers.

This cartoon compares today's struggle for gay marriage rights to the struggle inter-racial couples faced in the 1960's in a very effective manner. The arguments against gay marriage are the same as the old arguments against inter-racial marriage: it violates the sanctity of the sacred institution of marriage. The interesting part of this cartoon are the actual characters depicted; the person in the drawing of the 1960's protest is an older white and the person in the drawing of the protest in 2000 is an older African-American. This can be interpreted in two ways, the first being that if even the African Americans, a historically oppressed people, are fighting against gay marriage, there must be some validity to the argument. The second, and in my opinion more rational interpretation, is that if African-Americans and other minorities have won the right to marry despite protest, gays and lesbians should be extended the same right. Prejudice is a vile and stubborn disease that lasts through the ages, and unfortunately even those who have been subjected to unequal treatment themselves sometimes fall victim.

Controversy can also be found in the wording of this cartoon. The "sanctity of marriage" is at stake in both instances of protest. Yet I question the values these protesters are trying to protect in the first place. Is marriage, even the most vanilla of marriages between a white men and white females, really sacred anymore? In the past, it was a violation of the sanctity of the institution if either parties were not virgins when entering the marriage. It was also a violation of the institution to separate, let alone divorce and re-marry. Let's take it a step further and discuss marriage in ancient times. Back then, men were expected to take on several wives. It wasn't unusual for these wives to be child-brides, sold for money by greedy parents to wealthy men, either. That was considered a common aspect in the sanctity of marriage. My point is that times have changed; Blacks are allowed to marry whites, women are not forced into arranged marriages at tender ages, couples are not scorned for engaging in pre-marital sex, and marriage has been redefined as a union of two people.

That said, does the marriage of two men who love each other really violate anything sacred? Does the legal and ceremonial union of two women who care about each other on an intimate level truly sour the sanctity of marriage? I think not. Of course, there are many individuals who disagree with me. Such is the essence of controversy.