By Alli Kaufman
Copy Editor
During an interview with WHT-TV in Harrisburg Oct. 4, Governor Tom Corbett used an insulting analogy comparing gay marriage to incest. Corbett’s administration compared the legality of gay marriage to that of children getting married. The governor’s response was, “It was an inappropriate analogy, you know, I think a much better analogy would have been brother and sister, don’t you?”
The republican governor is currently a defendant in the ACLU’s lawsuit against Pennsylvania for its refusal to recognize same-sex marriages and civil unions. Although recently he has asked to be released from the trial under the Constitution’s 11th amendment that provides state officials immunity from being sued in federal court without their consent.
Corbett issued an apology later Friday; however his words had already reached the lawyers of the ACLU case and the democratic party. According to an article from Reuters, Vermont governor, Peter Shumlin, criticized Corbett and said, “Tom Corbett’s absurd comparison of same-sex marriage to the marriage of a brother and sister is offensive and demeaning to the millions of Pennsylvania families he claims to represent.”
However, Corbett is being commended for his comment by the president of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania, Diane Gramley, who told Corbett to “tell it like it is.” According to an article from Penn Live, Gramley continued her applause for Corbett’s statement and said: “We also need to recognize… that engaging in homosexual acts is a sin against nature and against nature’s God.”
Governor Corbett and Gramley may want to keep in mind that America is not a theocracy and religion should not be dictating our laws.
Corbett and his administration can issue as many apologies as they want but that will not change the fact that Pennsylvania is the only state in the northeast that does not allow same-sex marriage or civil unions.
Pennsylvania is a state that in 2008 and 2012 voted for President Barack Obama – a democrat – who openly supports gay marriage. This is contradicting considering the 2010 election of republican Tom Corbett, who supports the constitutional amendment to permanently ban gay marriage.
As a democracy in 21 century it’s time the inhabitants recognize how unacceptable this is. According to a 2011 study done by the Williams Institute, more than eight million adults in the US are gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Our country was founded on the ideals of equality, liberty and democracy; yet Pennsylvania is denying the rights of 3.5 percent of the U.S. population.
Governor Corbett has already received historically low job approval ratings and the assumption that his comments and beliefs on same-sex marriage play a part in that.
The question that is left is whether or not Pennsylvania will re-elect Corbett for office next year and continue to be ignorant to the rights of same-sex couples.
