Day 300: March 27, 2013

On the 300th day of Connecting the Dots, I have chosen to commemorate the fight for equality that is now at a critical juncture as the consideration of both Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act has reached the doors of the Supreme Court. Regardless of the Court's decision in this matter, it is important that we recognize as citizens our power to effectuate social, if not political, change. One of the reasons that this is such an important issue to me is because I too was once willing to sit back and allow the status quo to persist. Because I was not personally impacted by the issue, I never felt the need to get involved, educate myself, or take a specific stance. But it has been too long that individuals have allowed others to hold an improper and backward-thinking view on this matter. We have the power to change established belief by attacking it through reason, by challenging discriminatory views on the issues, and by not allowing these beliefs to persist simply because they are not motivated by malice. It is in this way that we can provide future generations an increased opportunity to become more accepting and prevent ancient fears and misconceptions from persisting down generational lines. That does not mean that someone who holds an opposing view on this matter is a bad person, because negative feelings and beliefs have persisted throughout our society over the course of history, and many have merely fallen victim to this persistence and are not motivated to oppose equality in rights because of malice. However, the only way these fears and misconceptions will persist is if well-informed, forward-thinking, and good people sit back and do nothing.

As we move on to consider the issues before the Court, it amazes me how some of the same people that will complain about the government telling them what kinds of guns they can own and in what ways they can use them are the ones so forcefully advocating telling people who they can and cannot love and in what ways they should be permitted to express this affection. Hopefully the Court can step up and prevent us from standing on the wrong side of history today. We need a strong group of people on the Court, along the likes of Earl Warren, who are willing to step up and do what is right—effectuating true justice in a manner within their personal, social, and constitutional prerogative to promote an increased level of equality and fair treatment for everyone, regardless of their nature, beliefs, or how they choose to live their lives. It is a basic human right for one to be able to live the way they were born without fear, and it is one of the reasons our ancestors left the tyranny of their past in search of a new world where they could be free to avoid this sense of disdain from their society and their governments. Even an originalist such as Justice Scalia should be able to appreciate that. Hopefully the Court makes the important decision to take this matter on and solve it in the right way, rather than attempting to dodge or avoid the critical issues. Now the time has come to decide to do what is right, not what is easy.