Let’s be real here for a second, guys. Just because something is not banned does not mean everyone has to do it. Prohibition of alcohol was repealed by the 21st Amendment to the US Constitution, but that does not mean everyone has to drink. Nobody is forcing21-year olds to drink.
No priest, pastor, minister, or justice of the peace is being forced to witness a marriage between a same-sex couple. Just like no priest, minister, etc. before was forced to witness a marriage of any other two people they didn’t see fit to marry. It is just illicit now for an entire state to forbid same-sex marriages. [Which to me is fine; it’s not the government’s job to instill a moral code upon our society.]
Legislation of civil or legal marriage also has no bearing on the Sacrament of Marriage. The two use the same words to describe themselves, but they are entirely different concepts. One provides legal rights and protections to two close (ideally loving, but not always) individuals who agree to share such sanctions. It is dissoluble when such an arrangement is no longer beneficial or desirable. [This is the kind ruled in the Supreme Court decision and the kind that everyone should have access to, regardless of whether you call it marriage or not.] The other is a lasting covenant shared between two children of God who are called and wish to help each other and their families grow in their universal vocation of holiness. It is insoluble by nature of the union as long as both individuals are living. The second type makes the first necessary, but not vice versa. We often confuse and commingle the two, but they can and do exist separately from each other.
So in all of this, realize that your religious liberties are not being attacked. Don’t waste time defending yourself from a ruling that does not directly damage your faith. Use this opportunity to love your friends and the people you know who are celebrating this Supreme Court decision. Be glad with them that they can now have their loved ones visit them in hospitals and jails. Be glad with them that they can now share military, social security, education, and tax benefits. Be glad with them that they can now claim the marital communications privilege, which means a court can’t force them to disclose confidential communications between them. Be glad that they are no longer being stigmatized and excluded in the laws of our nation.
You can be happy for someone without having to agree with them.
You can go check out my blog for more info! I made many posts last year, and will probably do the same this year.
Image ID under the cut
[Image ID: Five digitally drawn pictures. They all have a green gradient background that fade into each other.
Image 1: A simple cartoon character with short brown hair, white skin and green cheeks. They’re dressed in the colors of the aro flag (green, light green, white, grey, black). They’re gesturing towards a central text in capital handrawn white letter that reads “It’s time for Aro-Spec Awareness Week 2022”. Another text typed in black says “From Feb 20th Until Feb 26th”. Two white arrows are at the bottom of the image as decorations.
Image 2: The text is divided into three blocks and reads: “What does aro-spec mean ? It’s short for "aromantic spectrum”. Arospec people don’t experience romantic attraction, or experience it differently.“ aromantic spectrum is written in green, romantic attraction is written in a dark red, and the rest is black. The same character previously described is standing on the right of the text as if they were saying the words. They’re drawn a second time underneath the text, holding a green umbrella while saying "It’s an umbrella term!”. The same two white arrows are at the bottom of the image as decorations.
Image 3: The text reads: “However, arospec and acepec are two different experiences. Not every aro is ace, not every ace is aro. That distinction between romantic and sexual attraction is based on the SAM! (Split Attraction Model)”. The words are typed in black except for the word aro which is green, and the word ace which is purple. A handwritten note on the side reads: “It can be used by anyone too!”. The character is at the bottom of the screen and says in parenthesis: “Tho there are non SAM aro out there”. The same two white arrows are at the bottom of the image as decorations.
Image 4: The image is filled with text with the exception of the character’s head poking out of the bottom. It says in a handwritten white text: “Transcript at the end”. At the top of the image is written “Some Vocabulary for the road:”. Underneath is a list of terms in bold capital letters and their definition. “Allo: Being non-aro (alloromantic) or non-ace (allosexual)” ; “Amatonormativity: The assumption that everyone must want a lifelong monogamous romantic and sexual relationship.” ; “Romance Repulsed/Favorable: How someone feels about romance! Some aro do like romance, others want nothing to do with it, and some are neutral.” ; “QPR: Queer Platonic Relationship! An unique kind of commitment, determined by the people in it.”
Image 5: The character is sitting on the decorative arrows at the bottom of the panel. White text above and next to them read: “This has been a brief introduction! There’s a lot more to learn… so follow ASAW and be aware of your local aros! Thanks for reading!”
