What a couple of weeks this has been! The dialogue about same-sex marriage has grown more and more fierce as the right clamors to grab this issue and force it into the minds of people who would rather worry about the economy and the continuing war in Iraq. With the introduction into congress of the Federal Marriage Act and President Bush going on national television to proclaim his support for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between a man and a woman, the Republican Party has gone on record defining themselves as the the party that hates GLBT people.

We watched Larry King last night host a debate with Mayor Gavin Newsom (our new hero!), “actor/producer/activist” Chad Allen, Rev. John MacArthur, and Rep. Marilym Musgrave (R-CO). There were great moments and horrifying ones. The Mayor was terrific as usual, eloquent and pointed. The Colorado congresswoman looked like she just got back from Stepford, and harped continually on where we might go next – polygamy, incest, and worse. She showed that she got an “A” in Fear Tactics 101 at Republican University, by taking the current situation and taking it to its illogical conclusion. Chad Allen was very passionate as the one gay representative that just wants the basic human condition – a relationship that is supported and acknowledged by the community. The reverend tried to justify everything with Bible verses, and came off like an old poop. Larry showed many times which side he was on as he hounded the two conservative panelists on how gay marriage could possibly be as horrible as they make it sound. What was most encouraging was the questions from viewer calls, which were mostly on our side. One guy claimed to be a dyed-in-the-wool Republican who was going to do everything he could to get Bush out office. The best call was from a “disgruntled Democrat” schoolteacher in Southern California who asked the Mayor how to get our current Presidential candidates to finally get up the nerve to say they were for gay marriage.

What we want to say, more than anything, is that amending the Constitution with this amendment is a huge step backward. Our country already has a history of trying to legislate morality and having it backfire. The 18th Amendment did just that by prohibiting the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors. The amendment was ratified in 1919 and went into effect in 1920. The “Prohibition Years” were full of speakeasies and gin joints, so that people could have their martinis. Many people made money during those years, but it was all based on illegal activity. Only certain wineries, including many in California, that produced wine for medicinal purposes, were able to continue their operations. The 18th Amendment was repealed when the 21st Amendment was introduced and ratified in 1933. Prohibition was a failed attempt at legislating morality, and this time is no different.

If the country were to amend the Constitution against same-sex marriage, what would be next? (To borrow some principles from Fear Tactics 101.) Would they ban marriage between a man and a woman who are more than 10 years different in their age? What about banning marriages that are made under duress because the woman is pregnant? We should also ban marriages that are arranged by someone other than the couple being married. Heck, we should ban any marriage that doesn’t fit into the strict boundaries that the Republican Party dictates!!!

Surely there is a compromise solution. Put marriage back in the churches, where it belongs. Civil marriages should be redefined using a different word, so that people can get the legal benefits of their relationship without the quagmire that the word “marriage” seems to dig up. If we let the Republicans dictate how we are supposed to think and feel, then we as society will be much worse off than what the Republicans claim will happen if same-sex marriage is legalized.

The folks at DontAmend.com have a petition and email list if you want to get more involved. Let’s have the Constitution be the plow that breaks up discrimination, rather than codifies it – expanding our basic human rights and preserving our equal protection!