[Vision2020] The Argonaut: Why is Gay Marriage Still an Issue?

[Saundra Lund]

Why is gay marriage still an issue?
Written by S.B. -Argonaut
Tuesday, 29 August 2006

House Joint Resolution No. 2 proposes an amendment to the Constitution of
Idaho to provide that a marriage between a man and a woman is the only
domestic legal union that will be valid or recognized in this state.

Nothing new.

After the issue of gay marriage went into hiding in February when Idaho's
Legislature gave its final approval to bar all forms of gay marriage, why is
it suddenly finding its way to the limelight again?

Idaho is first and foremost a conservative state - it has not supported a
Democrat for president since 1964 - and it's safe to assume that the
conservative Idahoans are not in favor of gay marriage.

Nothing new.

So why is it a big deal again?
The Legislature should have more important issues on their plates, issues
that will affect Idaho in the near future.

Take for example, Idaho Gov. Jim Risch's proposal to eliminate the portion
of property taxes that pay for public schools' maintenance. And there's also
the issue of raising the sales tax to make up for the cut.

Gay marriage won't dip into undergraduates' wallets nor will it affect the
operation of public schools. Why is the Legislature so dead set on placing
judgment on two people who love each other and who want to make it legal
when our brothers, sisters, sons and daughters are going to school in
weathered buildings with rickety chairs and cracked chalkboards?

What's more important: two people of the same sex holding hands or
education? You decide.

According to the governor's office, homelessness is one of the most
challenging domestic issues facing the state, not gay marriage. How about
shining the light on the homelessness problem instead of pointing fingers at
Idaho's gay and lesbian citizens? The latter won't do anyone any good.

What's more important: two men wanting to make their relationship legal or
people, who could be your grandfather or your uncle, sleeping in cardboard
boxes in alleys behind restaurants? You decide.

Sure, gay marriage is definitely a newsworthy topic, but it should not be a
priority when Idaho has more pressing issues to address.