Equal rights fight very much alive

The argument that proponents of Proposition 8, the anti-marriage-equality initiative that passed in California this past Tuesday, make is specious, as any anthropologist should know. Marriage has taken various forms in various cultures throughout history. The idea that it has always been between one man and one woman can quickly be dispelled, if one takes the time to look at the cultural and historical record.

Polygamy - the marriage of one man and multiple women - is still practiced by some Mormon sects in the U.S. It is also still in practice among some Islamic cultures, some Eskimos, peoples of the Kalahari Desert, New Guineans, and Australian aborigines. Polyandry - the marriage of one woman and multiple men - is practiced in Tibet, Sri Lanka, and southern India.

Same-sex marriage, before the arrival of Christian influences, was widely practiced by Native American peoples. Such marriages were called "two-spirit" relationships. Today in a number of modern societies, such as in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, and Canada, same-sex marriage is legal.

While we as a nation can celebrate the election of our first African-American president, we must examine the discrimination that still exists, not only against those of different races and ethnicities, but against our gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender fellow Americans. We at PFLAG will not rest until all our children, gay and straight, enjoy equal rights in our country. After all, they are all Americans, and they deserve equal treatment under the law.

John Cepek

President of Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)

Indian Head Park