To the editor:
I was dismayed, yet not surprised, to hear that once again the majority, given the right to vote, has snubbed minority rights.
I am referencing Maine's decision to repeal the right of gay marriage. Federal ruling allowed for this law, but in a recent referendum, the state took a step backward from moving towards equality for all.
Should the majority be able to vote on minority rights? Looking at the question objectively, the answer should be "of course not." How would the minority ever benefit? After all, this is a government "by the people, for the people," and not one "by the majority for the majority."
I think this is something that many of us forget. We do not live in a country of pure democracy, and thank whomever you may pray to for that. If our country had developed as a pure democracy, we would never have seen African American equality rights or women's rights emerge. These were two minority groups who obtained equal rights through the federal courts, and not the vote of the majority, because the majority would have voted against them.
We are a country today that brags about our diversity and acceptance of all races and walks of life. Yet we are still struggling to truly live up to these ideals. There will always be racist and sexist people living in this country. However, the government protects the rights of oppressed minority groups because it has recognized that they deserve equality rights as much as anyone else.
If this is so clear a necessity for these groups, why is it still unclear for the minority of homosexuals? Are they taxpaying U.S. citizens, voters, workers, consumers? Yes. Do they have equal rights in every other facet of U.S. citizenship? Yes. So why is it that there is a question as to whether they should be allowed to marry legally? It seems absurd that in the year 2009, we still cannot defeat the prejudices that have handicapped our society.
If I could wish for any one thing for the people of this country, it would be to have one day or even one moment where everyone could be un-blinded by his or her fear, prejudice, or religion and could truly look at one another as humans and not labels. I wish we could open our eyes and see that we are all just people. Nothing more, nothing less. We are people with hopes, joys, sadness, problems, and goals.
Hating each other does not make us better people, but more pathetic and wasteful of our own happiness. It amazes me to think of all the problems that would be solved if we could all just grasp this idea.
However, this is clearly not the case. We do not live in such an ideal society, and therefore it is the government's job to protect all of us from discrimination. The federal government must stand up, look the skeptics in the face and tell them to get lives and quit worrying about everyone else's. I am an 18-year-old high school student, and while I do not see this happening in the near future, I do believe that I will live to see a time where homosexuals claim the right to marry happily. One can never tell what future minority conflicts may occur, but hopefully, as our country continues to age, we will see a time where these conflicts are smoothed more quickly and with greater confidence.
HALEY BRESNAHAN
Haverhill
