Not only is Spain one of the only countries in the world to allow gay marriage, but its military also allows gays to serve. And, recently, they've begun to allow gays to get married in official military ceremonies. The first such marriage between two servicemen just happened in Seville.
It's not that the situation is without controversy or attention - the couple was chased around the city by the media after the celebration. Two low-level infantrymen were brave enough (or, probably, loved each other enough) to bear the brunt of the attention and go through with it.
But it wasn't even a question of bravery. The government realized they were denying some citizens rights that were granted to others, and rectified the situation before there were court cases. It wasn't that one gay couple pushed the policy through, as was the case in the Massachusetts gay marriage ruling. The Socialist Spanish governing party beat them to the punch. The couple that got married was just the first one to take advantage of the situation.
It makes you almost laugh to imagine what it would be like if the United States government had such an attitude. We don't begrudge the fact that that our democratic legislative and judicial processes are such a quagmire - radical change should be difficult, yet not impossible, to achieve. But these issues just aren't a wedge for Spanish voters, so the government can make small, positive changes without rocking the boat a crazy amount.
We just don't understand how this hasn't come up yet in the US. From what we've gleaned through extensive video and internet research, the military is just overflowing with incessant gay sex: in the showers, in the commisary, on the ships, on the pool table, in the officers quarters, in the barracks, in the woods - sometimes six, seven or eight men at a time! Let these people get married already! Then they'll stop all the sex, like all newlyweds, and start focusing on work for a change. No wonder Iraq is such a fucking disaster...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Up here in Canada, our military started marrying gay couples before it was made legal nationally (some provinces having legalized it before it was national as well).
Post a Comment