It’s the Old Crusties vs. the Young Future
by Johnny Punish
In Las Vegas, betting is nothing personal. It’s all about making money. When the odds are in your favor, you double down. When you have a bad hand you fold. Now when it comes to marriage equality, the numbers are in and Vegas is placing its bets.
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in Hollingsworth v. Perry and may choose to back or strike down Prop. 8 in California which seeks to ban marriage equality.
I have personally spoken to both sides of the issue.
On one side, the advocates against marriage equality are passionate and determined. They typically feel that sex between same-sex people is disgusting and against god. And that only traditional marriage can end up creating children.
On the other side, the advocates for marriage equality say they do not seek to end a traditional marriage or interfere with the religious choice to only marry those of opposite sexes. They do not seek to stop those who advocate against marriage equality from engaging in their personal faith and choices.
However, they do seek a legal standing in society looking to have the right to legally engage in a contractual relationship that the government will honor on all property transactions and medical rights issues. They say it has NOTHING to do with the sex act and everything to do with the legal rights of men and women.
What is very striking to this observer is that 81% of U.S. Citizens under the age of 30 support marriage equality. Recently at the CPAC convention where the most staunch right-wing traditionalists roam the halls, they tried to find young republicans who would stand with them against marriage equality, and according to Marcia Wallace, Republican Strategist at the CPAC, they could not find any. The under 30 crowds, even with the GOP, simply do not side with the against marriage equality crowd.
So what do we have here?
Old people want traditional marriage and young people under 30 are for marriage equality.
Okay, so here’s the bet
It does not matter what the Supreme Court does or says right now. Congresses in the states or at the federal level are warned. The numbers and demographics are 100% against you. 81% is a cinch domino! That’s a bet everyone in Las Vegas will make and win.
So stick to your guns and, in the end, marriage equality will be with us. It matters not what side you’re on. It only matters that future is for it and the past is against it.
But then against the past was for Slavery, against the right for women to vote, and even against bi-racial marriage…. none of it stood the test of time and evolution….the demographics are the tell. Bet on it!
