Change in Sight for L.G.B.T.

This summer will be marked in history as a pivotal moment for gay rights. On June 24, 2011, New York passed the Marriage Equality Act, which will allow same-sex marriages to happen under the law. It will also grant same-sex couples the same rights and benefits that straight married couples are already given.

The passing of this act sent members and supporters of the gay community celebrating in the streets as New York became the sixth and largest state to legalize same-sex marriage.
New York has played a crucial role as an epicenter for political leadership and cultural diversity since the gates of Ellis Island opened in 1892. The mass amount of people that immigrated into the country from all over the world now stands as a symbol of the diversity the United States is known for.

Today, New York is carefully observed for rising fashion trends, the next big names in music and the upcoming must-have art collection. It is home to the world’s largest stock exchange, the renowned Wall Street, and of course, the New York Yankees. And when was the last time you went a week without seeing the famed “I Heart New York” t-shirt? To say the Empire State influences the rest of the country is an understatement. It is a Mecca of sorts to multitudes of people, ranging from Donald Trump dreamers to Broadway babes and future Alexander McQueen’s.

The 2010 census reported New York as having the third highest population, topped only by Texas and California.

Last year, the controversy of defining marriage was focused in California when Proposition 8 was introduced to the ballot. If passed, the proposition would outlaw same-sex marriage throughout the entire state.
At the time, I was attending high school in Irvine, Ca. Though our city was considered a rather quiet one, I still remember the weeks of driving through streets lined with Prop 8 supporters on one side, and opposition on the other. The proposition was passed, and even though the result of the vote only affected the state of California, the controversy soon made national headlines.

New York is now the largest state to pass an act promoting marriage equality. It joins Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Iowa and Washington, D.C. in legally recognizing gay marriage. Though the states have power to pass such acts, the federal side of this is a little more complicated.

In 1996, President Bill Clinton instituted the Defense of Marriage Act, which stated that marriage consists of one man and one woman (though states can take it upon themselves to say otherwise). But in February of 2011, President Barrack Obama announced the government would no longer support the act, stating that it was unconstitutional. There are still arguments about whether or not President Obama has the right to do this.

So why does the federal law matter if states can legalize gay marriage on their own? Even though gay couples are legally married within their state, the federal act still has its restrictions. For instance, it can keep a spouse from being under the same family health insurance policy. In some facilities, the principal alone restricts family decision-making, and can even prevent a partner from entering the treatment room with his or her spouse or children.

The Human Rights Campaign created the Healthcare Equality Index to help increase awareness and promote change in such instances. Though the index now represents 375 facilities nationwide, instances of supposed discrimination still happen at the hands of individual workers and are recorded by the HRC.

One of the most notable incidents happened in the case of Washington resident Lisa Pond, who collapsed while on vacation with her family in Miami. Though she and her partner, Janice Langbehn, had been together for 17 years and had four adopted children, the hospital employees refused to let Pond visit her partner’s bedside, claiming it was against Florida law. As a result, Pond died without her spouse or children at her side.

When it comes down to the bare bones of it, it is hard to present this as anything less than prejudice. Some couples in our country are allowed certain rights while others struggle to fight for them, the only difference between them being sexual preference.

The union between them is even given a different name. A man and a woman earn the title of being married while same-sex couples (in places where gay marriage is not recognized) are referred to as being joined by a civil union or in a domestic partnership. Marriage is recognized across the country, in arrays of different cultures and in almost every religion. Some people don’t even know what a civil union is. It hardly sounds like the way one would like to express a lifetime of love and devotion to another.

“The law is supposed to be blind of race, creed and gender,” said sophomore Christian Reich.  “So it makes sense for two consenting adults to be able to participate in a government-sanctioned union. Marriage is different than a civil union in my eyes because, by calling it something else, homosexuals are made to be different and unequal to heterosexuals.”

Is that fair reason to deny someone the benefits our country promises? America prides itself on diversity, on equal rights for all—that is what we claim to be founded on. Is this issue really expected to be considered “fair” to all of America’s citizens?

Awareness has definitely increased—a day without mention of same-sex marriage controversy is a rarity. But the big question is whether or not an increase in awareness means an increase in acceptance.

New York took a huge step toward parity when the Marriage Equality Act was passed. But can this mean a step for our entire country?

Even if you don’t think about the people or the acceptance, New York is also helping something else—its economy. Just Google “gay weddings in New York” and there are a dozen sites ready to help make that happen. The Empire State will surely become the getaway spot for same-sex marriage for the east coast, if not most of the country.

“It’s a good thing for New York to have,” said sophomore and New York native Angel Lugo.  “Not only does it make some gay couples happy, but also brings in a lot of money to the state. It will help with the economy big time.”

In fact, former city Controller Bill Thompson revealed in a 2007 report that the legalization of gay marriage was projected to bring in $142 million dollars into the New York City economy alone.
But even with the economic aspect considered, the fight is far from over. Conservatives are surely grabbing their torches and pitchforks in preparation for a fight, but at least, for the time being, we can take comfort in progress.

The question remains now: will the rest of the country follow suit? Other states may have started the movement, but perhaps New York’s plunge was exactly what was needed in order to give the matter full consideration, whatever the motives behind it.
But amongst the speculation, it is clear that a revolution of sorts has started. Change is inevitable, but it will be interesting to see if it occurs out of acceptance of new lifestyles or simply out of fear of being left behind in the process.