Walking to the State House on Thursday

Walking to the State House on Thursday, across various Trenton Streets, around various State agencies, I paid attention to the citizens I met along the way. I felt I was going on to witness something important (the NJ Senate vote on the Marriage Equality bill), potentially history-making. But I wondered, what has it to do with these folks? In the grand scheme of things, does the passing of this legislation do anything to ease their life, to give them hope?

There are so many things that need “fixing” in our society: work and just wages for all; affordable housing; a stable, safe, local food supply; quality education, no matter where you live or who your parents are – from pre-Kindergarten through college. Those are my dreams, and those are the things worth fighting for. And those are the things that seem so impossibly hard to fix.

So where does “marriage equality” fit in all of this? How does it help the lives of all these other people? If you base an opinion solely on the kinds of testimony you’ve heard, or the representatives the proponents of the bill have put forward, you could (uncharitably) think that although their stories are heart-wrenching, it may not be such a big deal. After all, they have options – they have health-care, even though it’s been hard to make sure the family of a same-sex couple is covered. They have jobs and houses. That is true.

Yet they struggle, and endure hurts and discrimination. And there are so many untold stories about less privileged gay and lesbian couples where the option to “marry” (not just get civil-unionized) would make a real, positive change in their lives. Marriage equality may seem like a “privilege”, but it is also emblematic of a healthier society. Allowing civil marriage for all couples honors all families. And it also evidences a civil society where equality is valued, and compassion is present. It demonstrates a potential for greater equality and equity in the wider society.

If we can do this, we CAN make education a priority and take up economic issues that support people and not institutions “too big to fail”. Universal healthcare for all – a dream that has surfaced in this country every now and then over the past 100 years (and has been unjustly vilified in these recent debates on healthcare) – might just become part of our culture.

Because one culture change can beget many more. But only if we care enough. Only if our vision is broad enough not to be stymied by some false “hierarchy of injustice”. Step by step, we keep moving forward. Is “marriage equality” the most important issue? Maybe, maybe not. But it is still worth working for.