We've decided that gay people are okay. Maybe now we'll decide that single people are too.
A related issue comes up from time to time, esp in the Village -- where people make a wide variety of lifestyle choices. Should gay people have the right to marry? Of course they should, I say. If two people want to make a commitment to each other, how can anyone else say they shouldn't? It's hypocrisy for conservatives who say the government must stay out of people's lives to then turn around and say that marriage is between a man and a woman. It's okay to believe that of course, but it's not okay to deny people rights if they don't conform to your beliefs.
Here's what I do have a problem with -- the government being in the marriage business, and the government giving tax benefits to people who are married.
I don't sign the petitions that call for amendments allowing gay marriage. It can be awkward because people assume this is because I'm against gay people. It's not so. I'm against the government having a stake in the relationships between people, or lack thereof.
So I think it's great that Elena Kagen is straight and single, and may well become a Supreme Court justice. It's about time that people who say they want diversity of representation get to stretch a little.
