In the wake Massachusetts? recent court ruling favoring same-sex marriages and San Francisco?s issuance of marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples, the issue of same-sex marriage has become a hot topic across America.
To address the subject, UCA Honors College alumnus Paul Hawkins gave a Honors College High Table presentation last week titled: ?Same-Sex Marriage: An Argument for Equal Rights in America.?
Hawkins is a native of Danville, Ark., but for the last eight years he?s called San Jose, Calif., where he is an openly gay music teacher, home.
He returned to the UCA campus to educate students on an issue that are being debated across the country today. ?I?m here to be the face of something that is a daily reality,? he said.
Hawkins, is lanky with short black hair. He seems uncomfortable in the spotlight and begins his presentation by informing the group that he is a little nervous about speaking to such a large crowd.
?This campus is where I started coming out to myself and a few friends over my sophomore, junior, and senior years and figuring out how I was going to live my life and deal with all of that.?
Hawkins and his partner, Scott, met in June 2001 and were united in a civil ceremony in California last summer.
?I wanted speak about this issue this week because I knew that the Massachusetts ruling would be coming to a head. It would be a very opportune time for this to be in people?s minds,? he said.
?I want to present a perspective of same-sex marriage that shows the human reality. I want to show you same-sex marriage through the eyes of an average, boring American citizen that deserves equal access and equal protection under the law of this country,? Hawkins said. ?Marriage is an important personal choice and a basic human privilege. The decision to marry should belong to the individuals, not the state.?
During the High Table, Hawkins pointed out the benefits heterosexuals have access to when they are married. ?When you?re granted a marriage license, you get over 1,000 benefits and rights. Some of them refer to social security, inheritance rights, tax codes and medical power of attorney.? Because same-sex marriage is not legal in most states, gay and lesbian are not afforded the same benefits as heterosexual couples. In the states where there are laws for domestic partnerships, only a limited number of benefits are offered.
Civil unions grant the same rights and privileges as civil marriage within that state. In Vermont, the only state where civil unions are allowed, same-sex couples? benefits are void as soon as they cross the state line.
Only a few places such as California, Alaska and the District of Columbia offer domestic partnership laws. Hawkins predicted that in the coming years, California will have the strongest domestic partnership laws in the country. He also told how much more accepting and tolerant the state is of the gay community. He said, ?That is the reason I don?t live in my home state near my family. There, I?m treated more as an equal and I?m safer.?
Arkansas recognizes only the marital union of man and woman and prohibits marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Because same-sex marriages in Arkansas are not recognized, gay and lesbian couples are not eligible for marriage benefits. Arkansas also does not recognize same-sex marriages from other states or foreign jurisdictions.
Students also learned about the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment, which states, ?Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this constitution or the constitution of any state, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups.?
This amendment would take away power from the states, giving it to the federal government. It might also nullify the rights gained from domestic partnerships and civil unions. This would eliminate Vermont’s Civil Union bill and the possibility that other states might implement a similar bill in the future.
Hawkins said this federal amendment would deny equal rights to gay and lesbians, and it would undermine individual states efforts to protect gays and lesbians as well as their children. ?This constitutional amendment would take away the states rights to define marriage. With the exception of prohibition, this would be the only amendment to deny instead of granting rights to a group of people,? Hawkins said.
?If this amendment passes, my committed relationship, no matter what you think of it, is condemned to second-class citizenship with no recourse to equal rights ? ever,? he said.
Hawkins also discussed same-sex marriage as a civil rights issue. He quoted author Andrew Sullivan, who said, ?We change these things because we recognize that the human dignity of a person is the same whether that person is a man or a woman, is black or white. We are arguing that the human dignity of gay people is as profound as anyone else?s and marriage should begin at last to recognize that fact.?
