Should the W.Va. constitution discriminate against same-sex couples? That's the question before the West Virginia legislature Joint Judiciary Subcommittee A today.
Hearing on Marriage
Who: Joint Judiciary Subcommittee A
When: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 11am to 1 pm
Where: Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Room
What: A hearing to consider whether West Virginia's constitution should be amended to discriminate against same-sex couples
The hearing is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, although there will be no public testimony during the hearing.
Alison Knezevich reported last week the hearing will include a diversity of perspectives:
Family Policy Council of West Virginia President Jeremiah Dys and a representative of the Alliance Defense Fund -- a conservative organization that says it seeks to "aggressively defend religious liberty" -- will speak in favor of the amendment, Dys said.
"We're thankful that the Legislature is setting aside time to carefully study this issue," he said. "To my knowledge, this is the first time the West Virginia Legislature has ever officially discussed the Marriage Protection Amendment."
Fairness West Virginia board President Stephen Skinner and a representative of the ACLU of West Virginia will speak against a constitutional amendment, Skinner said.
"I think it's important to get out there and have some of these conversations in a public way," Skinner said. "Lesbian and gay people are not threatening quote-unquote traditional marriage."
Skinner said public opinion -- particularly among Americans under age 30 -- is rapidly shifting toward acceptance of same-sex marriage. He added that West Virginia already has a Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the state from recognizing gay marriages performed elsewhere.
"We shouldn't be wasting our money trying to ban something in West Virginia that's already banned under statute," Skinner said.
Check for updates during the day by Stephen Skinner via twitter.
For further updates on this story, join the Facebook Group Fairness WV. To support marraige equity in West Virginia, join http://www.fairnesswv.org.
Update: Just noticed this commentary by Hoopy Kercheval on marriage equity. He doesn't quite support full "marriage" rights, but all but advocates for civil unions.
I give him credit for taking a long view on the subject:
The acceptance and rejection of homosexuality has ebbed and flowed over time and through cultures.
[snip]
Christianity's more recent view of homosexuality is bifurcated; Conservatives cite Biblical passages identifying it as an abomination, while more liberal strains preach tolerance and inclusion.
[snip]
But homosexuality is not just something some people "do," it's about who they are; it's about their core identity more than their sexual preference. To deny people their sexual nature is to deny them their true being.
The natural progression of that argument is that same sex couples should be allowed to marry, but I pull up short here. The term "marriage" is culturally rooted in the mores that define the traditional family.
Some form of legal recognition of same sex couples seems reasonable, though I realize even that invites vigorous arguments from straights and gays.
I don't think we need a Constitutional Amendment defining marriage, but I do think we could use a crash course in the importance long-term, committed relationships in maintaining healthy, productive families.
Amen.
Neither my marriage nor my faith is threatened in any way by the existence of same sex couples. To think it could be otherwise speaks volumes to the poverty some must feel about their own relationships. |
