According to Margaret Hoover' s opinion article My Fellow Conservatives, Think Carefully About Your Opposition to Gay Marriage, Hoover states that even though a person may not be a republican, that they should still consider that gays and lesbians should have equal rights. It was said in the case of Bush v. Gore in the Supreme Court that Ted Olson "sought to prove that marriage equality is a constitutional question, [and]not a partisan issue". This campaign is known as the "Proposition 8 campaign" which began in California. The Proposition 8 campaign states that gays and lesbians face discrimination in the country today which should not be accepted. It also states that by allowing same sex marriages, the result would be a better economy, stable families, and a much better living environment for anyone. The only factor that homosexuals have to face, are conservatives. Even though many liberals would support gay rights "economists testified to the economic harm caused to same-sex couples and their children, political scientists to their political vulnerability, sociologists and psychologists to the societal stigma associated with homosexuality".
Additionally, conservatives tend to lean toward keeping the same values as the country had done in the past. People today believe that we should look to the future instead of following rules from the past. However, even though conservatives wish to remain the same, they can not "deny that our Founders intended the judiciary as an equal and independent branch of government purposed to ensure the protection of every citizen’s rights". With that, it is a fact that marriage is a constitutional right which should not be taken away. With gay activists Kristen Perry, Sandy Steir, Paul Katami, and Jeff Zarrullo as the face of gay rights, only strengthen the cause. With activists desiring for gay rights, this puts the government in a bad position. A person has the right to marriage, but not the right to marry a person of the same sex? Hoover also states that if a person has the right to marriage that they should also the right to marry anyone of their choice.
Overall, Hoover establishes in her article that she is indeed for gay rights, but many conservatives do not wish for gay rights. Hoover also establishes the flaws in which the government is preforming with gay rights. Marriage is a constitutional right which should not be taken away. This article is clearly directed to conservatives because it states out that even though gay marriage may not have been accepted in the past, that it should be accepted now. Additionally, it is directed to young teens in my opinion, due to the fact that many teenagers "experiment" at this time in their lives. With teenagers involved, they would more than likely vote for gay rights because they would believe that anyone should have the right to marriage. However, even though I'm currently a teenager myself, I do not support gay marriage. Now I'm not stating that discrimination is right, not at all. I have my own personal moral values which come from my religious belief. Homosexuality is wrong in my opinion, but I still believe that everyone should be treated equally in the world regardless if someone is gay or straight. I myself have friends who choose to be homosexual and I respect them because they respect me. I just feel that gay marriage should not be accepted because of my belief in the Bible. Hoover article did, however, open up my eyes to understanding the rights in which people should have, but it did not change my opinion on gay marriage. Now I understand that many would choose to say I'm an anti-gay rights person, and I believe I'm not. I just believe that a line should be drawn at marriage because that has to be done in front of God. Many people say that God made the gays, I don' t agree with this because I believe God gives people the option to follow his law or disobey his law. In conclusion, Hoover' s article will open the minds of many to supporting conservative to change, but a religious factor may take a cause in the case.
