Young Democrats Debate Same-Sex Marriages

The group gathered for a forum about same-sex marriage titled "Cultural Taboo or Long Overdue?" Although the majority of participants were members of the Young Democrats, they still had different questions and concerns. "I'm a member of the Young Democrats, but this is an issue that I don't really have a solid opinion on yet, so I'd like to hear both sides of it," said Mike Peterson, a freshman history and political science major.

The forum began with two short speeches advocating each side of the issue. First, junior political science major Michael Songer spoke for the legalization of same-sex marriage.

He said tradition is not a reason to ban same-sex unions because traditions also have been changed with regards to interracial marriages. "Our conception of marriage has changed significantly over time as we've changed our perceptions about what's fair," Songer said.

Several problems with legalizing same-sex marriages were then presented by Justin Johnson, a senior political science and French major and a member of the College Republicans. He said legalizing same-sex marriage will create problems with states' rights.

"When a state extends marriage rights, say Vermont for example, these rights extend to all 50 states." Johnson said this forces other states to accept the decision, which many believe they should not have to do.

Johnson then said the majority of voters are against the legalization of same sex marriages, saying that Hawaii overwhelmingly rejected a proposition for it despite being a fairly liberal state.

Although Republicans are usually characterized as being against same-sex marriages, not all Democrats agree with the concept either, said Chris Brook, a junior from Raleigh and president of the Young Democrats. "Al Gore, who's running for the Democratic ticket, is not for gay marriages - he came out against it," he said. Gore has expressed support for civic unions, similar to those approved this year in Vermont , which extend many rights that are granted to heterosexual married couples to homosexual couples.

Johnson agreed with Brook, saying, "If Bill Bradley is against gay marriage, you better bet 80 percent of the country is against it."

The majority of the opinions voiced, however, supported same-sex marriages.

"That type of discrimination should not be allowed," Songer said. "Just because there is opposition does not mean we shouldn't undertake these things."

One student was opposed to the government control of private actions. "I don't see why there is this intense concern by social conservatives on how people want to live their lives," said Sasha Bernier, a sophomore business major. "We can think, we're capable of making our own decisions."

While most Young Democrats attending supported this view, they differed on the best manner to achieve the goal. "When people are denied rights, it's usually very difficult to give them to them all at once," said Peterson. "We have to do it one step at a time."

But Jonathan Miles, a freshman philosophy and physics major, said it was crucial to stick to political principles. "We can't afford to compromise."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.