Embrace the truth about marriage

Homosexuality is not a societal issue that just became of note in the last four decades.

History, including the Judeo-Christian Bible, records the practice of same-sex relations thousands of years before Christ.

Now, however, some want to equate one's sexual partner preference to the civil rights movement, the fight so courageously fought for more than 100 years. In an attempt to curry political favor by framing the narrative around one's personal choice of a partner to equate with the suffering experienced by generations of black Americans, the fight of truly persecuted individuals is diluted and their history distorted.

In the same effort to make homosexuality acceptable in society, politicians have joined the gay rights community in an effort to redefine marriage.

Marriage has been defined for thousands of years as the union between a man and a woman. State governments have codified the contractual relationship, and many have constitutions that have been or will be amended to further protect that definition.

While it is absolutely wrong to discriminate against any individual for their sexual preference, their race, their gender, etc., the choice of a sexual partner does not equate with a civil right, nor should a foundation of society be redefined.

The argument for access of same-sex partners to benefits, visiting rights and other domestic issues of property can be settled simply in a legal contract and a power of attorney.

If students at UTC, Chattanooga State and all the local schools began taking the forks during lunchtime in the cafeteria to comb their hair rather than using the utensils as designed, there would likely be a question as to the need to do so. It would be recognized that perfectly acceptable instruments, combs and brushes, already exist to achieve the goal of groomed hair.

President Barack Obama now has voiced his support for same-sex marriage in an election year that sees his approval ratings dipping and his economic record not fulfilling the promises he made while attacking former President Bush's dealings with the same economy, now four years ago.

The Chicago Sun-Times chronicles Barack Obama's evolution on this issue:

• In a written, signed statement in 1996, state Senate candidate Barack Obama declared, "I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages."

• In 2003, U.S. Senate candidate Obama opposed the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by President Bill Clinton and supporting the traditional definition of marriage.

• The U.S. Senate candidate in September 2004 noted his Christian faith in defining marriage "between a man and a woman," yet he expanded his support of "civil unions for gay and lesbian couples."

• In Obama's presidential campaign of 2007, his call for a repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act was in direct conflict with his statements just a few years earlier.

Reject attempts to rewrite history to identify sexual preferences with the civil rights movement.

Reject attempts to redefine marriage to accomplish a goal that can be achieved in a legal contract.

Reject the lip-service and pandering in election years.

Embrace the truth.

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