Sounding like a conservative from the days before the Moral Majority, et al, began what would become a devastating theocratic infiltration of the GOP, top conservative attorney Ted Olson makes the case for gay marriage in the latest Newsweek.

At the end of the Civil War, to make the elusive promise of equality a reality, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution added the command that “no State É shall deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person É the equal protection of the laws.”

Subsequent laws and court decisions have made clear that equality under the law extends to persons of all races, religions, and places of origin. What better way to make this national aspiration complete than to apply the same protection to men and women who differ from others only on the basis of their sexual orientation? I cannot think of a single reason—and have not heard one since I undertook this venture—for continued discrimination against decent, hardworking members of our society on that basis.

Various federal and state laws have accorded certain rights and privileges to gay and lesbian couples, but these protections vary dramatically at the state level, and nearly universally deny true equality to gays and lesbians who wish to marry. The very idea of marriage is basic to recognition as equals in our society; any status short of that is inferior, unjust, and unconstitutional.

I truly believe that one day, in the not too distant future, we as a country will look back with disgust on this fight against marriage equality. It will be seen, as are other bizarre lapses in our humanity, as heinous and indefensible. But mostly I believe it will be seen as a period of shame for the Church. A time when massive amounts of money and emotional energy were spent to foster hatred and stigmatization toward innocent men and women, wrenching many from their faith and preventing others from such discoveries — the antithesis of Her mission.

The full article is a great read.

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