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Shut Up And Listen 224

True Patriot Love

Yesterday was Canada Day and, damn, was I proud to be a Canadian this week. On Tuesday, we finally took a step into the twenty-first century and became the third nation in the world to legalise same sex marriage. The bill was passed in the House of Commons with a vote of 158 to 133 via an alliance between the Liberals, New Democrat Party, and the Bloc Québécois.

Before the vote, it was already seen as a solid victory as the alliance was seen as likely to get the bill passed despite a group of MPs in the Liberals who would be voting against it. There was also a rather amusing moment before the vote where the leader of the Tories, Stephen Harper claimed that if the bill passed with assistance from the Bloc, a separatist party, that it would lack legitimacy to most Canadians. Of course, last month, when Harper wanted to bring down the government by allying himself with the Bloc, he thought they were a legitimate force within the House. Hypocrite says what?

I watched some of the proceedings on CPAC and it was interesting to see some of the arguments against same sex marriage. Of course, it's not bigotry. No, no, no, it isn't anti-gay, it's pro-marriage and pro-religion . . . both of which are apparently anti-gay. But that's alright, isn't it? If God says that's the way things are, then it's freedom of religion, not hate speech, right? And if the bill was passed, then that freedom of religion would be in jeopardy because, well, a lot of religions don't like those Goddamned faggots and without that nice little protective shield, then all of the people here on Earth won't be exercising a right, but infringing upon others'. And let us not forget that sacred institution that is marriage, with its fifty percent divorce rate, Elvis-dressed, drunken ceremonies in Vegas, and the fact that it began as a way to combine families to ensure that if you got into some shit, you'd have a larger group of people to back you up. We must protect that! It's sacred, dammit!

When in reality, it's about minority rights, which is why the bill passed. There's no difference between a marriage of a man and a woman, and that of two men or two women. I'm actually surprised that there is so much opposition. I mean, did anyone think that it wouldn't eventually happen? Throwing your hat in with that lot will make you look like complete idiots to the future. How do we look upon segregationists? Well, that's how the future will look upon Stephen Harper and his ilk, who promise that if they get into power, they will reopen the issue.

Luckily, many opposed to same sex marriage see the issue as closed now, recognising that they presented their case and stood up for their beliefs, and were simply out-voted. While they may not want to recognise minority rights, they do respect majority rights. The bill is not a full law yet, as it still has to pass through the Senate, but it's expected to do that with ease.

So yeah, this week I'm especially proud to be a Canadian and to live in a nation that is actually moving forward with its recognition of the rights of all its citizens.

And what did I do on Canada Day to celebrate this great nation's founding and the pride I feel in the fact that it pushes forward rather than letting itself be held back by outdated ideals? I watched The Daily Show With Jon Stewart: Indecision 2004 on DVD. What better way to celebrate how great Canada is then to laugh at Americans? Heh. So, happy Canada Day, and happy Independence Day to our neighbours to the south.