Column: To say or not to say “I do”

By Shouger Merchant

In almost every class I have had since freshman year, professors, instructors and teaching assistants have always factored in jokes about two things in their lectures: Canadians and Californians. Canadians are picked on for obvious reasons, but I couldn’t understand why Californians were mocked until Arnold, a.k.a. “the terminator,” was elected as Governor.

Just when I was going to write California off and hop onto the bandwagon of California riddles, the state went and did something to surprise me. And then Arnold undid it.

Sept. 6 marked a day that will go down in history as a milestone for gay rights. It was the first time that a U.S. legislative body voted for same-sex marriage. A little stunned, I discovered a newfound respect for Californians, whose senate approved it by a vote of 21-15. Is California starting a trend and setting a precedent for the rest of the country to follow? Is the state governed by Arnold going to teach the rest of America a little lesson about acceptance and equality conquering all?

According to CNN.com, the proud Assembly Bill 849 “redefines marriage in California as a union between two persons, making it gender-neutral and thereby permitting same-sex marriages in the state.”

Delighted lesbian and gay people in every corner of the country celebrated all night while the bill lay in wait for the Governor’s signature, only to hear the next day that our dearest Arnold plans to veto the bill.

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The reason cited: Schwarzenegger says that the public voted differently five years ago to approve Proposition 22, which states that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” He claims that “out of respect for the will of the people” five years ago, he will veto the bill, according to CNN.com.

Persistent gay rights advocates have come a long way with their efforts to secure equality for everyone under the law. The fact that this bill was voted on quickly means the movement has gained impetus. So why is Arnold going to veto it? It is just another political ploy to dampen the rejuvenated spirits of all the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered members. The governor has been reputed to have declared his support of homosexual marriage; however, this kind of deferment to the courts indicates he still needs some validation to ensure that the rightists don’t write him off as a liberal sucker from Hollywood.

Opponents of the bill in California are attempting to invoke the old Proposition 22, citing the bill as a violation of the traditional and sanctimonious nature of marriage.

Who are we to define the traditional institutions? We weren’t around when they were institutionalized. And how many times have we let go of traditional practices to make room for newer and more innovative practices? Marriage is a sacred institution and should be treated as one. It is not a Constitutional right, but is in fact a natural one. As citizens of the world, we have the right to life, and this comes with the unspoken right to marry whomsoever we desire. There is no law forbidding homosexuals from cohabiting together; why grudge them a piece of paper that makes their situation legal?

If I could tell Arnold one thing, it would be: You have an opportunity to leave a heroic legacy as a governor of a great state if you choose to participate in this struggle for basic civil rights. Do the right thing and extend this required right to marriage to everybody, irrespective of orientation.

I can only agree with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom when he said Schwarzenegger missed “a golden opportunity to stand on history and do something that was noble and appropriate.”

Arnold says that he will be fine with whatever the courts decide, so let’s just hope the courts have greater wisdom, and exercise their power to benefit equality of protection for all. Who wouldn’t want to be Arnold right now and have this chance to do something that would make so many Americans happy and yet harm no one?

Shouger Merchant is a senior in Communications. Her column appears every Wednesday. She can be reached at [email protected].