THAT SCREAM you just heard was Rev. Jerry Falwell reading last week's Massachusetts Supreme Court decision. But while Falwell and Billy Graham prepare for the apocalypse and Fox salivates at the thought of their new reality series "Who Wants to Marry a Gay Millionaire", homosexuals in 49 other states are still left pining for full equality. Here at Mr. Jefferson's University of tolerance and diverse thought, same-sex couples continue to be deprived of the benefits their straight counterparts receive. It's time to take a cue from Lawrence v. Texas and the good fellows up in Boston: It's time for domestic partner benefits.
Domestic partner benefits entail allowing men and women in same-sex relationships to declare their significant others on the same forms that heterosexuals declare their husbands and wives. This entitles homosexuals to the same basic advantages any committed couple should be privy to: Benefits for insurance, taxes, Medicare, etc. No one is talking about bringing the wedding bells down from Cambridge -- just a bit of simple justice for a group that has seen so little.
There are few arguments against domestic partner benefits that aren't steeped in bigotry. Perhaps there is something about the "sacred" institution of marriage that connotes absolute advantage over those not joined with biblical blessing, but last time I checked the Ten Commandments did not admonish homosexuals that "thou shall not receive tax deductions." Some might say being queer is just wrong and wonder why we should reward them with taxpayer dollars. It's funny, you know what is in the Ten Commandments? Thou shall not commit adultery -- but we give benefits to shattered marriages just the same.
What it comes down to is this: Homosexual couples are just as committed and loving as heterosexual ones. A long time ago, the people of this fine nation decided that two people who chose to unite their lives were worthy of material benefits; it is truly sad that those same people are too blinded by fear of difference to extend the benefits to all couples.
Although the University does not legally have the wherewithal to effect change alone, it can and should put pressure on Richmond. Why the University? Two reasons: First, the influence of Carr's Hill is powerful; President John T. Casteen, III and the Board of Visitors command immense respect around the state -- when they speak with one voice, people listen. Second, the only truism in Virginia politics more concrete than the Republicans controlling Congress is that the road to the governor's mansion goes through Charlottesville. Chuck Robb, George Allen and Jim Gilmore all paraded the Lawn, as did Gov. Warner's wife.
With all the press that gay rights has been receiving in recent months, now is the perfect time to lean on legislators for laws allowing domestic partner benefits. Students should implore the administration to intercede; phone calls are far more apt to be made if the Powers That Be know this is something the student body feels strongly about. Outside the University, letters and calls to congressmen will help, stressing that the only thing being asked for is a little justice.
The fallout from the Massachusetts decision is currently settling, and no one knows quite how it is going to play out. Some are calling for a constitutional amendment enumerating marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Others are calling for the rest of America to follow the precedent and legalize gay marriage. For the sake of Virginia and for the sake of the same-sex couples at the University, our legislature should be prodded to recognize that gay rights is no longer a taboo issue to be swept under the carpet. It is naive to think that this Commonwealth, obviously conservative, would ever willingly allow for same-sex marriage, or even civil unions. But to deprive caring individuals of material benefits just because of their lifestyle is truly deplorable.
Now is the time to act, President Casteen. Now is the time to act, Board of Visitors. Now is the time to act, Wahoos far and wide. Domestic partner benefits have been repressed for far too long; make them a reality. Make Jerry Falwell cry.
(Elliot Haspel's column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at ehaspel@cavalierdaily.com)
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