[su_heading size=”16″]The Equality State now one of 32 states to not legalize gay marriage[/su_heading]
Marriage just isn’t what it used to be. Now it can almost be seen as a trend, something fleeting that we do when it seems like a good idea. As soon as the happiness fades into gray area, we bail. Hello divorce! Divorce rates in America are currently between 40 and 50 percent, a record high.
The most recent controversy of marriage? Gay marriage. Should it be legal? Should same-sex marriages get the same legal rights and benefits as traditional marriages? Recently in Utah there is a kerfuffle over this exact issue. At a state legislative level, same-sex marriage is not recognized. Last Thursday, Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes notified all Utah county attorneys and clerks that the same-sex marriages that took place between Dec 20 and Jan 6 were recognized as legal at the time. He also determined that these unions are granted the proper documentation in states that do not recognize same-sex marriage.
So basically Utah will continue to provide federal services to same-sex couples, but state services are still required to comply with state laws, which don’t recognize same-sex marriages at this time. The state is in an awkward limbo. This brings to mind the question of when all the other states are going to follow California’s lead and recognize same-sex marriage at a state level in every state, not just the 17 that are there so far.
Perhaps the most ironic part of all of this debate is that Wyoming is one of the 33 states that ban same-sex marriage. Are we not the “Equality State?” The first state to grant women the right to vote? There is even a statue to commemorate the occasion downtown, but how many of you knew that? So if our wonderful state is so gung-ho on the equality front, why do we not allow same-sex marriage? Who are we who so proudly lay claim to being the first of the fifty states to be equal, yet we refuse the same to the issues of our current day?
What is the big deal? Why can’t we let people do what they want and make benefits and privileges equal for all no matter what path they choose? One prime example of Wyoming being the ironic equality state rather than the true equality state is Liz Cheney. She was running for State Senate, and using her family’s Wyoming background to convince the public that she was the right choice. And to do this, she took the stance that she was against same-sex marriage, as most Wyomingites do, for we are a conservative state in majority. Then people brought to the public eye the fact that she used to be on the gay marriage bandwagon, mainly because her sister is a lesbian. Turns out it’s not a bandwagon you can so easily jump off of.
The next few years should be interesting to see where our equality state takes us, whether its to a land of true equality or if we are doomed to be the state of irony for a while.
