Of all the possible walks of life someone could have, that of the homosexual tends to raise the most eyebrows and incite a great deal of controversy. The last decade has seen multiple cases in Congress and several state legislatures where the right to same-sex marriages was on the line. And that got me thinking, what if I was gay? How would I feel about all this chatter if it directly affected my sexual preference?

Not that I need to defend myself, but I figure I should mention that no, I am not gay. I am, however, comfortable enough with my heterosexuality to discuss how I would feel in today’s society if I actually were. Even considering all the growling denunciations of homosexuals, this is a great time to be one. Everywhere I look, it seems as though being gay is increasingly acceptable, if not fashionable.

While gay marriage is still against the law in most states, given the increasing popularity of the gay lifestyle, one would be foolish to think that with enough time, it won’t become acceptable everywhere. A 2005 Boston Globe survey indicated that only 39 percent of respondents between ages 18 and 35 opposed same sex marriage, while the rate continued to increase with age. By the time the younger generation takes over, same-sex marriage will probably be no more taboo than interracial marriage.

Still, there are those who are working hard to make sure this does not happen. In 2004, a Republican-led Congress began working overtime to establish a constitutional amendment that would have banned gay marriage.

Constitutional amendments are no small deal, either. Since the document was written in 1787, only 27 have been added. Yet some members of our government were willing to add another just to make sure that as long as America marches on, people of the same gender will never get married. Surely there must have been more important things for Congress to worry about. Especially considering, you know, we were up to our neck in a war at the time.

Besides being a little grossed out at the thought of what goes on behind closed doors, what is it that people have against two members of the same sex hooking up and sharing the same tax form?

Naturally, we can discuss the matter in a divine religious context by opening our Bibles to Leviticus 18:22 where it’s written, “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.”

To a lot of people, that about wraps it up. God doesn’t want us doing it. But I’m going to stay out of religion right now, as it will do nothing more than open up a completely new can of worms.

There is a popular argument that marriage is the foundation of social order. Every civilization in history is based on marriage and to allow members of the same sex to exchange vows will disrupt this harmonious order and lead to moral demise.

Quite convincing, but first of all, I believe marriage in the 21st century is a joke. How can it be taken seriously in America, where more than half of them fail within a few years? Marriage is nothing more than a legal contract that makes sense if you want to save money, and most marriages are based on that rather than true love. The institution of marriage is already morally demised and practically irrelevant when discussing its initial purpose. If two people can live separately for 10 years and not talk to each other while still being legally bound under contract, I don’t see how I could call anything about it sacred.

Going back to the idea of comparing this with interracial marriage, according to a 2004 edition of USA Today, about 90 percent of Americans were opposed to it in 1948. When interracial marriage was legalized by a Supreme Court decision in 1967, it was still opposed by 72 percent of the public.

Long story short, society adapts to social changes. We don’t use slaves anymore, women can vote and given enough time, gays and lesbians will happily be allowed to marry each other if they choose to do so.

So if I were gay, I’d probably be advocating all this quite loudly to my representatives in Congress, telling them that when they’re all dead, I’ll marry a dude if I want to.

Garrison Ebie is a senior electronic media production major and a columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].