g
      es
      ina
      pretty
      elg
     
     
      bourhood,
      with
      row
      upon
      row
      of
      neatly
     
     
      painted
      and
      trimmed
      houses,
      and
      the
     
     
      gardens
      are
      manicured
      by
      tender
      moth-
     
     
      erly
      hands.
      A
      boy
      moves
      in
      next
      door,
     
     
      and
      they
      meet
      and
      play
      together
      after
     
     
      school
      while
      waiting
      for
      their
      fathers
      to
     
     
      come
      home
      from
      the
      office
      and
      their
     
     
      mothers
      make
      dinner.
      As
      they
      grow
     
     
      older,
      the
      playing
      turns
      into
      innocent
     
     
      hand-holding,
      and
      after
      finishing
      school,
     
     
      they
      declare
      their
      love
      for
      each
      other
     
     
      and
      get
      married.
      After
      awhile
      they
      have
     
     
      children,
      and
      the
      cycle
      is
      repeated.
      That
     
     
      is
      the
      way
      its
      supposed
      to
      be,
      right?
     
    

    
     
      As
      a
      single
      woman,
      I
      know
      this
     
     
      is
      not
      true.
      My
      "boy
      next
      door"
      and
      I
     
     
      moved
      on
      and
      went
      in
      separate
      direc-
     
     
      tions
      a
      long
      time
      ago.
      Our
      interests
     
     
      changed,
      and
      this
      is
      the
      case
      with
      many
     
     
      other
      people
      I
      know.
      It
      is
      difficult,
      with
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Marriage:
      A
      Basic
      Human
      Right
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
      all
      those
      people
      out
      there,
      to
      find
      the
     
    

    
     
      _
      perfect
      person
      to
      love.
      Yet,
      somehow
      we
     
     
      still
      have
      this
      "Leave
      it
      to
      Beaver"
      atti-
     
     
      tude
      stamped
      on
      our
      culture
      and
      we're
     
     
      having
      a
      hard
      time
      moving
      past
      it.
     
     
      Granted
      many
      things
      have
      changed,
      but
     
     
      the
      basic
      idea
      behind
      it
      has
      not.
      We're
     
     
      supposed
      to
      grow
      up,
      get
      married,
      have
     
     
      children,
      and
      go
      on
      retirement
      cruises.
     
     
      But
      the
      thing
      here
      is
      that
      it's
      men
      and
     
     
      women
      who
      are
      supposed
      to
      get
      mar-
     
     
      ried,
      not
      men
      and
      men,
      or
      women
      and
     
     
      women.
     
    

    
     
      It
      is
      a
      basic
      human
      right
      to
     
     
      marry
      whomever
      one
      wants.
      The
      main
     
     
      criteria
      is
      that
      the
      marriage
      is
      supposed
     
     
      to
      be
      between
      two
      people
      who
      love
      each
     
     
      other,
      for
      example
      a
      man
      and
      a
      woman.
     
     
      It
      is
      a
      contract
      between
      two
      people
      say-
     
     
      ing
      that
      they
      will
      be
      true
      to
      each
      other,
     
     
      and
      love
      each
      other,
      and
      take
      care
      of
     
     
      each
      other
      "til
      death
      do
      they
      part."
      All
     
     
      sorts
      of
      people
      get
      married:
      inter-racial
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      drink
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      from
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      *
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      2
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ask
      the
      Wave
      staff
      for
      detaiis
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      couples,
      couples
      who
      are
      in
      abusive
      |
     
     
      relationships,
      couples
      who
      are
      infertile,
     
     
      couples
      from
      broken
      families,
      etc.
      No
     
     
      two
      couples
      are
      alike.
      But
      it
      is
      still
      their
     
     
      basic
      human
      right
      to
      get
      married;
      no
      one
     
     
      tells
      them
      they
      can't.
     
    

    
     
      Society
      has
      had
      its
      shames
      that
     
     
      were
      kept
      hidden
      away
      from
      the
      public
     
     
      so
      as
      not
      to
      taint
      the
      moral
      values
      of
      the
     
     
      rest
      of
      the
      community.
      It
      wasn't
      so
      long
     
     
      ago
      that
      it
      was
      shameful
      to
      have
      a
      child
     
     
      out
      of
      wedlock.
      Now
      people
      have
      chil-
     
     
      dren
      out
      of
      wedlock
      all
      the
      time,
      and
     
     
      there
      is
      no
      shame
      in
      it.
      We
      have
     
     
      realised,
      as
      a
      society,
      that
      those
      children
     
     
      do
      indeed
      turn
      out
      to
      be
      healthy,
      intelli-
     
     
      gent
      adults.
      African
      American
      people
     
     
      have
      more
      opportunities
      now
      than
      ever
     
     
      before;
      they
      can
      go
      to
      school
      and
     
     
      become
      doctors,
      lawyers,
      and
      business
     
     
      men
      and
      women.
      They
      are
      now
      a
     
     
      respected
      and
      valuable
      part
      of
      our
      socie-
     
     
      ty.
      You
      may
      well
      ask
      what
      race
      has
      to
     
     
      do
      with
      marriage.
      But
      it's
      not
      about
      race
     
     
      or
      marriage.
      It's
      about
      discrimination.
     
    

    
     
      People
      are
      homosexual
      or
      het-
     
     
      erosexual
      because
      they
      are
      born
      that
     
     
      way.
      It
      is
      not
      the
      fault
      of
      the
      parents
      that
     
     
      their
      children
      may
      be
      gay,
      and
      it
      is
      not
      a
     
     
      decision
      the
      child
      makes.
      It
      is
      predeter-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      mined.
      So
      why
      do
      we
      discriminate
      and
     
     
      say
      that
      a
      minority
      group
      in
      our
      society
     
     
      can't
      get
      married?
      It
      can't
      be
      because
      of
     
     
      religious
      belief.
      Atheists
      get
      married
      all
     
     
      the
      time.
      It
      can't
      be
      because
      it
      hurts
     
     
      other
      people.
      The
      only
      people
      who
      are
     
     
      affected
      are
      the
      ones
      wanting
      to
      get
     
     
      married.
      It's
      because
      people
      don't
      under-
     
     
      stand,
      and
      what
      they
      don't
      understand
     
     
      they
      are
      afraid
      of,
      and
      what
      they
      are
     
     
      afraid
      of
      they
      say
      is
      wrong.
     
    

    
     
      I
      don't
      understand
      why
      people
     
     
      smoke;
      I
      can't
      understand
      the
      addiction
     
     
      part
      of
      it.
      I
      have
      a
      fear
      of
      relinquishing
     
     
      control
      to
      an
      external
      influence.
      But
      that
     
     
      doesn't
      mean
      I
      go
      around
      pulling
      ciga-
     
     
      rettes
      out
      of
      people's
      mouths
      just
     
     
      because
      I
      think
      it's
      wrong.
      I
      don't
      under-
     
     
      stand
      what
      it's
      like
      to
      be
      gay,
      but
      I
      can
     
     
      imagine
      that
      it's
      not
      much
      different
      than
     
     
      being
      straight.
      Love
      goes
      beyond
      gen-
     
     
      der;
      many
      people
      don't
      understand
      that,
     
     
      so
      they
      are
      afraid
      of
      it.
      And
      then
      they
     
     
      discriminate
      and
      say
      that
      homosexuals
     
     
      can't
      get
      married,
      taking
      away
      a
      basic
     
     
      human
      right.
      The
      contract
      is
      between
     
     
      two
      people,
      not
      between
      two
      people
      and
     
     
      their
      community.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -:page
      [17]
      October
      13,
      2003:.