Francisco Polo: The importance of being Earnest
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Published Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 15:52
by
eromerof 
(740 views and 2 comments)
In the last years, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and his government have been recognized for the social improvements introduced in Spain. Improvements that have turned this Mediterranean country into one of the most advanced places in the world. And I am talking, particularly, about the modification of the marriage laws that extend the right to get married to anyone independently of his or her sex since 2005. With this, there is no “gay marriage” in Spain. There is only one kind of marriage for everyone - no separate regulations.
This is the most important point of the matter. We are not talking about the fact that some rights are being recognized for a part of the population and that homosexual people enjoy the same rights. We are talking about a greater benefit. And this benefit is the one I just mentioned: The fact that we are talking about the same marriage - the importance of being married.
That importance has to do with the fact that the extension of a right to a part of the population that was not enjoying them, is forcing to the most reticent heterosexual population to make a pedagogical effort at the same time. Today there is no possibility of treating homosexual people differently in Spain. Since the law is recognizing that there is no room for differentiation the possibility for different treatment of homosexuals in any other social aspect is evaporating.
As it happened in the works of Oscar Wilde, there is an importance in the fact of being Earnest; there is an importance in the fact of being married (and not anything else). We, the socialists, must challenge any institution with a different name. Permitting institutions that are not a marriage is to perpetuate the difference is to keep open the possibility of a discriminatory treatment
It is a subject that has been debated on a lot of occasions but there is no room for this kind of discussions anymore. Would we ever consider naming women’s right to vote differently than men’s?
Same dignity, same rights. No difference.
Find a
Spanish version at
manifiesto2009.es
Francisco Polo is a PSOE activist and a member of the manifiesto2009.es network.
Tags: blogger of the week, diversity, gay, LGBT
Comments
1. But you wouldn't deny the right to choose, surely? by davidvaughan on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 17:48
That's a great defence of equal rights and a well-expressed challenge to the injustice of discrimination, Francisco.
However, I couldn't help noticing towards the end of your article that you seem to be calling for one type of social control to be replaced with another. Perhaps it's simply the way you've expressed an idea, or maybe I'm misunderstanding you.
You say:
"Permitting institutions that are not a marriage is to perpetuate the difference is to keep open the possibility of a discriminatory treatment"
But if people want to live within an institution that's not marriage, surely they should be permitted to do so? You're not calling for them to be prevented from exercising their choice?
And then:
"It is a subject that has been debated on a lot of occasions but there is no room for this kind of discussions anymore."
The great thing about democracy is that it provides room for discussion of most things. I think it should not permit demagogues to destroy democracy, but most other things are up for debate.
Maybe you feel there should be no room for discussion of this topic among socialists? If so, that's fine; but I hope you won't mind if other people discuss it elsewhere!
2. Marriage and gay marriage - that's the question by tolerance on Monday, May 5, 2008 at 17:03
David - as I understood the article it was more pointing to the issue that having a 'marriage' and then a 'gay marriage' is - when all comes to all - discrimination. Why shouldn't marriage just be the same - regardless of whether the couple is hetero or same-sex? I would definetely agree with this.To be able to post comments you need to be logged in. No account yet? Register here! Lost your password?