Speaking Up for the Voiceless

Love won.

Does that sound cheesy? Sure. Does it infuriate you? It shouldn't. But if it does, well this isn't for you.

If you're the kind of coward who thought the Supreme Court's decision on same-sex marriage wasn't important because it had no affect on your life then good, this victory isn't for you.

Speaking of which, I see you — those who start their arguments with “what about...” I've already written about those using black-on-black crime as a shield for police brutality. This is the same concept.

If you're the kind of imbecile who believes the end of days is here because of this decision, well, A) shut up and B) this isn't for you.

I saw someone online write “silence is a form of approval” before talking about why they are against same-sex marriage. I did not see that same “silence is a form of approval” statement when many stayed quiet about the various slayings of black men by the hands of police officers over the years. But I do remember seeing someone try to start an #AllLivesMatter trending topic after #BlackLivesMatter was trending worldwide on various social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The same people who wrote #AllLivesMatter in opposition to #BlackLivesMatter didn't use the same phrase when marriage rights were granted for all. Funny how that works, right?

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has already voiced his opposition to the SCOTUS ruling. One of the biggest problems I've had was when he was quoted as saying “The court's views are radically out of step with public opinion. The Supreme Court follows the opinions of Manhattan and Washington D.C., but it doesn't follow the opinions of America.”

Except the Gallup polling has shown that 60 percent of Americans believed the law should recognize same-sex marriage, a huge difference than when the question was first asked by Gallup in 1996 in which only 27 percent of Americans believed marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid.

As a matter of fact, this year will make it five years straight of at least 50 percent of Americans in support. So I ask, how is this not following the opinions of America?

I'm not going to give you a laundry list of why same-sex marriage needed to be legalized. It's safe to say the words from the Supreme Court will do just fine.

“No Union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization's oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.”

Shout out by the way to those who have had to hide their joy because of the ignorance of their parents. I will never understand how it feels to hide someone's true self, but I can only imagine the amount of pain that's there.

At the top of this I mentioned that this column isn't for the cowardly or the imbeciles.

But I also failed to mention why I am writing this. I am not going to pretend that the writings of an almost 26-year-old man, specifically my column, should be influential. Unlike some who have this terrible sense of self-importance, I know who I can and cannot influence. But that's not going to stop me from trying to speak out for the voiceless.

So for those of you who aren't able to celebrate the fact that same-sex couples can marry but so wish they could, this is for you. I'm raising that metaphoric rainbow-striped flag for you, no matter how corny it is to write that phrase and read it out loud.

Love won. And I'm going to celebrate it as if my team won the state title.