How long has it been?
On July 20, 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world and the first country in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide.
Wiki has us at 4th, I thought it was 3rd, but even then we are in distinct company. It's been nearly 7 years and the debate is all but over here. We argue for our neighbors (as we do for many things).
I actually remember it well. The debate was as early as 1999. I will admit, I was split on the issue. I was about 2 years out of high school and still probably way more impressionable than I should have been. (Yeah, my a-holeness didn't kick in till about 22
I was a Catholic kid)
I wasn't against gay marriage at all. I didn't know many people that it influenced. I had one gay classmate in my senior year and he was cool. Lesbians and bi-chicks were still taboo and fun for guys. I harbored no ill will at all to any groups. But I still wasn't sure they should get married.
The Liberal government started throwing around the idea of a national referendum on the issue. It got the country energized. I think mostly because we had just seen another referendum that most of us weren't able to be a part of. Maybe not the actual issue, but people were excited about democracy in progress.
It got really close, if people remember (or if I am remembering something correctly). But then something happened. Chretien who we all knew was leaving, but hadn't officially set the date yet came out and said something. At this time it was one of those bold moves that one in office often does when they know they will be gone. He had wanted his legacy to be about environmentalism, but wanted to get into human rights as well.
He said, and I'm paraphrasing here, if anyone has the exact quote, let er rip: 'We won't have a referendum on the issue because the will of the majority cannot supersede the rights of the minority.'
Well done.
As for me, that's when it clicked. I wasn't on either side at that point, but it just made sense. We wouldn't allow the will of the whites to vote over the blacks. We wouldn't allow the will of the men to vote over the women. We should we allow the will of the close minded straight to rule over the gay?
It not only hit home for me on my opinion then, but it made sense that I had to talk about it and protect it.
It wasn`t just enough to say it was ok, I had to stick up and fight for those that wanted it.
Eventually it took a few more years to pass the actual law, but Canadians were still amongst the first in the world to do it!
And not only that, but we have been one of the strongest forces in promoting equal rights abroad.
So for all of you that still fight, thank you.
And for all of you that are still not convinced, well there are many arguments. We can argument books and tomes and definitions and hypocrisy.
But in the end it just comes down to civil rights. Plain and simple. What is a right for one, should be a right for all.
And part of living in a democracy is fighting for that. Some of us fight overseas for our freedoms, but many of us fight right here for our freedoms. And believe me, with very real consequences. So I will. And we all will.