I’ve realized this post is more “Why I Believe in Marriage Equality” as opposed to “Why I Chose to Run for It.” To find out why 52 half marathons in 52 weeks and how marriage equality fits into that – go here.
As you saw yesterday, I added a charity to a running adventure!
I am unbelievably excited to be raising money for Broadway Impact throughout the rest of my 52 half marathons.
To visit my fundraising page, please click here!
I’m singing, dancing, adventuring, and more to help earn money. So, if you want to be serenaded, if you want a pacer in a race, if you want someone to climb a mountain with you – please go to my page and let’s work together to get this organization as much money as we can!
To read more about Broadway Impact, and the awesome work they’re doing for marriage equality, you can check out their website here.
In the near-ish future, I’ll sprinkle in posts here and there on why I chose to add a charity, and how I got started with Broadway Impact. Tonight I want to get to the biggest thing – why I chose to run for marriage equality.
I suppose this choice is somewhat controversial, since obviously not everyone believes in marriage equality (or else, we’d already have it). I’ll start by saying – I’m not here to fight. I’m not here to yell. I’m not here to bully people about my beliefs.
I’m just really pumped to be able to use my running adventure to help an organization that I really believe in.
(I think it’s somewhat likely that I will lose some blog followers over my beliefs, but I’d rather do good than do well.)
It’s been pointed out to me that I apologize a lot on this blog – for posting a blurry picture, for doing something that makes me look stupid, for going on a rant, or complaining about something. But my belief in marriage equality is one thing that comes without apology.
Some of you may be wondering why someone who doesn’t really believe in marriage at all wants to make her main stance be one for same-sex marriage.
Because I believe in equality.
I’ve sat at my computer for a while now, staring at the screen, writing down thoughts, starting over, writing more thoughts, researching various same-sex related issues, and on and on.
I don’t know exactly what to say.
What I want to say is that I don’t understand how we don’t already have marriage equality. I cannot wrap my mind around it. But, I don’t want to use loaded language or back anyone into a corner. Just because I cannot fully understand does not mean I’m not listening. I’m listening. I’m listening to people quote Bible verses and make arguments. Sometimes I get emotional. That may not surprise you by a girl who cries over torn pants (obviously this is on a level much deeper than pants).
Part of the reason why it’s so easy to fight or yell or turn off our ears to others is because the issue can make people so emotional. I am emotional when I think about friends of mine being denied the 1,400 rights that come with being married. (That’s a whole lot of rights.)
It’s easy for conversations to ramp up quite quickly. While reading and reading, doing research for this post, trying to see if statistics or essays could help me to better formulate my words, I came upon a website called ChristianAnswers.net. Among other things, it says, “Less than 5% of gays have ever had a relationship that lasted 3 years or more.” No citations.
At first, I spent some time here elaborating on knowing plenty of same-sex couples who’ve been together for more than 3 years, and knowing plenty of straight people who’ve never had a relationship that lasted longer than 3 years (I haven’t), and asking why this would be a fact that even matters. But, this whole 3 years thing is not what we’re all getting hung up on, so I’m gonna try to quiet my over-talking and move on.
The author of the article was saying a lot of hateful (and untrue) things. If he had been talking to me in person, it would’ve been easy for automatic responses to take over. It would’ve been human to want to yell and scream (and maybe toss a table over as though I were a “Real Housewife of Beverly Hills” or something).
The Family Research Council uses the word “monogamous” in quotation marks when it refers to homosexual couples in a “report” on it’s website.
It’s really important for me to remember that when I ask other people to be tolerant, I need to be tolerant as well. I have to listen. I have to learn as many facts as I can, because that is the only way I can ever fight to win.
Sometimes, it’s very painful to listen to people who are against same-sex marriage, but I’ve got to listen. I’ve got to know what I’m fighting against.
Onto said fight –
One of the things I see brought up the most about same-sex marriage:
Q: Why isn’t a civil union good enough?
My answer: When has separate but equal ever been good enough?
And this is where I’ll pick up in one minute.