2008 Woodie Awards
Freedom is not equality
Jackie Reitmeier
Issue date: 11/1/07 Section: Opinions
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Discrimination and equal rights are two big issues American's feel they are experiencing today.
That became all the more obvious to me when I read "Project Fights for 515 Rights" in Monday's University Chronicle. Project 515 is a non-profit organization fighting for the rights of committed and same-sex couples in Minnesota.
This is new to me. A group not fighting just for the rights of gay or lesbian couples, but for committed heterosexual couples as well?
So I read on.
Turns out there are 515 state statutes in Minnesota that discriminate against people with non-traditional lifestyles. The statutes create such an inequality ranging from the death of a partner to professional pursuits and preparation for the future.
So is there a solution to this problem? Personally, I think there is a very simple one.
It doesn't matter if you are two heterosexual people who just don't want to get married, or partners in a homosexual relationship who can't get married; Marriage is a bond and a promise made between a man and a woman.
Therefore, the laws cannot possibly apply in the same way to two people who have not made that bond, whether it be by choice or inability.
Some of you may see this as discrimination, but I see it as a simple fact of life. Life will never be fair to everyone, and the laws will never work for everyone.
Personally, I don't agree with either of the lifestyles, but I don't dislike people who have chosen either path of life.
They are human beings and deserve to be treated the same as everyone else, right? Sure, but in this case, a line needs to be drawn. Marriage is marriage, end of story.
I think it's getting close to the time where Americans need to get off their high horses and accept that even if we are the "Land of the Free," freedom isn't always going to be fair
That became all the more obvious to me when I read "Project Fights for 515 Rights" in Monday's University Chronicle. Project 515 is a non-profit organization fighting for the rights of committed and same-sex couples in Minnesota.
This is new to me. A group not fighting just for the rights of gay or lesbian couples, but for committed heterosexual couples as well?
So I read on.
Turns out there are 515 state statutes in Minnesota that discriminate against people with non-traditional lifestyles. The statutes create such an inequality ranging from the death of a partner to professional pursuits and preparation for the future.
So is there a solution to this problem? Personally, I think there is a very simple one.
It doesn't matter if you are two heterosexual people who just don't want to get married, or partners in a homosexual relationship who can't get married; Marriage is a bond and a promise made between a man and a woman.
Therefore, the laws cannot possibly apply in the same way to two people who have not made that bond, whether it be by choice or inability.
Some of you may see this as discrimination, but I see it as a simple fact of life. Life will never be fair to everyone, and the laws will never work for everyone.
Personally, I don't agree with either of the lifestyles, but I don't dislike people who have chosen either path of life.
They are human beings and deserve to be treated the same as everyone else, right? Sure, but in this case, a line needs to be drawn. Marriage is marriage, end of story.
I think it's getting close to the time where Americans need to get off their high horses and accept that even if we are the "Land of the Free," freedom isn't always going to be fair