The Definition of Marriage

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “In Turnabout, U.S. Says marriage Act Blocks Gay Rights,” describes a breathtaking reversal by the Department of Justice by refusing to support the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court, declaring it unconstitutional.

Despite conservative attempts to argue otherwise, the Department of Justice does have the right to take this stand and has done so with other legislation in the past. It is somewhat unusual, however, in that it comes after two years of defending the Act.

The article claims that the Administration’s decision came about as a result of two new lawsuits against DOMA that would have required it to argue that gays had not been stigmatized in the past. Yet I can still see reasonable people differing on both sides of this issue.

I know that Pastors and Reverends are concerned that they will be forced to conduct gay marriages against their beliefs, and, as a born-again Christian, I am well aware of the description of gay living as an “abomination.”

On the other hand, I am also a committed liberal (and proud of it) Democrat and am acutely aware of the civil rights need for this kind of stance. I have had a gay client in my business and imagine many other Americans have had similar interactions in other areas of their life.

So, what’s the answer? I think some framework needs to be carved out for conscientious objecters among clergy at the very least. And some creativity would be necessary by Congress to meet any legal fiats that may eventually come down from the Courts.