Good sense strikes - finally!

Yesterday, the NAACP Board of Directors voted to back gay marriage.

If I was a religious man, I'd be crying "Alleluia!" right about now.  This is the perfect "marriage" between two movements, both devoted to full equality for all Americans.


The full resolution, which former NAACP senior vice president Maxim Thorne wrote was passed with only two members of the 64-member board opposed, states:

The NAACP Constitution affirmatively states our objective to ensure the "political, education, social and economic equality" of all people. Therefore, the NAACP has opposed and will continue to oppose any national, state, local policy or legislative initiative that seeks to codify discrimination or hatred into the law or to remove the Constitutional rights of LGBT citizens. We support marriage equality consistent with equal protection under the law provided under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Further, we strongly affirm the religious freedoms of all people as protected by the First Amendment.

That last could eventually mean the inclusion of non-religious folk into that "marriage" - it's a day I'll work towards vigorously.

Our Constitution guarantees equal protection under the law by limiting the powers of the government, not by specifically enumerating all our rights.  The right of all people of whatever sexual orientation to form whatever relationship they wish with whomever they wish - regardless of either party's sexual orientation - is a right that is guaranteed under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution which reads:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

The Fourteenth Amendment (quoted in part) extends those limitations to the States:

Section. 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Emphasis mine.

The day will come when a court of these United States will rule that the denial of marriage rights to people on the basis of their sexual orientation is contrary to these two parts of our Constitution.

I hope that day comes soon.