Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle Kicks Gays While We're Down

Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle did a good amount of damage to the marriage equality movement last week when she vetoed civil unions in the 50th state. And now, just when we thought maybe she'd shut up and sit down, she scooped up a handful of that lovely salty, Pacific Ocean water, and rubbed it in the wound.

Linda Lingle, with dignity and respect to all, thinks gay marriage should be decided by the "collective wisdom and consent of the people," not simply one person. Except Linda Lingle, all by her little self, decided that gay marriage is not a civil rights issue, and used her singular power of veto to deny civil unions to Hawaii's gay community. Oh, do tell.

"First cousins couldn't marry, or a brother and a sister and that sort of thing. It really can't be a civil right if we are restricting it in other cases, and it's been found to be legal in those other cases, that the restrictions." It's grammatically awkward, but I think I get what she's saying. If we, as a society, won't let siblings marry, or let people marry their dogs, or all that slippery slope nonsense, then it's okay to not let gay couples marry.

First things first, Linda, 18 states, including Hawaii, allow first cousin marriage.

So let's go with her "collective wisdom" argument. The collective wisdom may be that homosexuality is a sexual pathology. No matter that the APA ruled that out decades ago. Forget that content homosexuals lead healthy, mentally stable lives. Ignore the fact that there isn't anything we do in the bedroom that straight folks don't do either. Believe that we're a bunch of pervs. Whatever.

The collective wisdom may be that children of gay couples are doomed to a life of social degradation, confusion and psychological trauma. Even though study after study after study after study says otherwise, if that's what you want to believe, I can't stop you.

Here's the thing, though. There isn't a growing "collective wisdom" that siblings should be able to marry. I haven't heard of one sibling love pride march. No ballot measures to change the laws of all the states that don't recognize it. No marches on Washington in the name of sibling marriage rights. No collective cry from tens of thousands of sibling couples, yearning to enjoy the same rights as the rest of Americans, begging for recognition, pleading for equality. In fact, the only time I ever hear about siblings wanting to marry, it's in some made-up apocalyptic future where gays are allowed to marry, and marriage becomes a freak show free for all.

And that's the difference. There is a massive, ever growing momentum in this country toward marriage equality — meaning the recognition of both heterosexual and homosexual couples as honorable and dignified, worthy of government respect. It is a right that impacts a significant enough portion of the population. That, along with numerous Supreme Court rulings, is what makes marriage a civil rights issue. As Think Progress so brilliantly pointed out, voting is still a civil rights issue, even though we don't let infants participate.

So according to Linda, it's not okay for one person to give out rights, but it's okay for one person to withhold them. I don't want to hear any complaints when the "collective wisdom" boycotts Hawaii, and votes in someone with a better grasp on fundamental rights this November.

Photo credit: Maui Time Weekly