Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Editorial: It is time for Missouri to recognize LGBTQ rights
By Editorial Board
The Maneater, U. Missouri
May 08, 2009

Maine is the latest in a string of New England states to recognize the need to legalize gay marriage. A total of five states have legalized gay marriage, with two others recognizing civil unions.

Of these five states allowing gay marriage, four are in New England. So far, Iowa is the only Midwest state to allow gay couples to marry.

Thirty states have bans against same-sex marriage, including Missouri. In 2004, Missouri passed a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

In this time and place, gay marriage should be legal.

Just this week, the first openly gay Missouri state senator, Jolie Justus, D-Kansas City, traveled by bus to Iowa to marry her partner Shonda Garrison.

When the newly married Justus and Garrison crossed the border from Iowa to Missouri, their marriage was no longer considered valid.

This is just not right. Same-sex couples in Missouri should not have to travel to Iowa or New England to celebrate their devotion to each other only to return and have it considered void.

Not all of Missouri is so against same-sex marriage. In Columbia, the City Council voted unanimously to establish a domestic partnership registry. This type of registry was already in place in Kansas City, St. Louis County and Jackson County.

Although this does not seem like much, it allows same-sex couples to be involved in health care decisions and burial arrangements. It is a small step in the right direction. Once domestic partners leave city limits, their partnership is no longer recognized.

On campus, the efforts of Include Me MU will add gender expression and identity to many student organizations' protection clauses.

Because Missouri has a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, we understand it is too much to ask for the state to overturn it at this point in time.

There are some small steps the state can take toward progressivism, though.

Justus co-sponsored two pieces of legislation concerning lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning rights. One is a resolution urging Congress to abolish Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the military. The other is to include sexual orientation under non-discrimination policies.

These are two steps in the right direction. We are past the age of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. American troops co-existed alongside British soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan; the British military allows gays and lesbians to serve openly. There were no major problems then, showing this legislation has become unnecessary.

Congress is tackling hate crime legislation that would include sexual orientation in the list of categories that can be prosecuted under hate crimes.

In the Missouri House of Representatives, though, the legislation to add sexual orientation under non-discrimination policy is in legislative limbo and will not be moved on this session.

It is time for the Missouri legislature to it together. Look to Iowa as an example.

The LGBTQ community also needs to pay attention to what is going on at the state and national levels. Lobby the legislators and get these bills on the calendar. Stay vigilant and do everything possible to get these bills signed into law.

The world did not end when Iowa legalized gay marriage. It certainly will not end if Missouri allows sexual orientation in non-discrimination policies.

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