Same-sex marriage is legal, so ‘get over it'

Approximately 1 million adults in America are in same-sex marriages, according to USA Today. That would account for 0.3% of the U.S. population. That’s not 3%; it’s three-tenths of 1 percent, which means that 99.7% of Americans are not gay-married.

So I want to know, what’s the big deal?

I mean, seriously, I don’t see how same-sex marriage is encroaching on anybody else’s life. It’s not like gay married couples are pouring across the borders in tuxedos or wedding dresses or being converted by the thousands in gay churches every Sunday. Yet we have people in this country who won’t bake a cake or throw together an arrangement of flowers for 0.3% of the population.

Trump supporters like telling me I should “get over” something, so here’s an idea for them: Same-sex marriage is legal. Get over that.

I‘m not gay and I don’t intend to marry anybody who is, but I support same-sex marriage for those people who are. No one appointed me to supervise other people’s love lives and besides, I’ve got enough problems with politicians who want to strip me of my income and health insurance and a president-elect who is probably insane.

Still, there are folks out there who say their religion won’t allow them to bake that cake or arrange those flowers and frankly, I don’t think that’s true. I went to church every Sunday when I was young and I was a good little Baptist for a while. I was even president of the Baptist Youth Fellowship.

Baptists are pretty tough. They like to dwell on a lot of things that will send you straight to hell. Still, I remember being taught to “love my neighbor” and “do unto others” and stuff like that. I don’t recall the word “straight” or “heterosexual” being in there any place. I don’t go to church any more but I still have beliefs. Here’s what I believe:

* Homosexuality is genetic; it’s not a lifestyle choice. I don’t know why anyone would sign up for a lifetime of discrimination and abuse.

* You can’t exorcise homosexuality with conversion therapy or simply “pray it away.” It is not a mental illness.

* Everyone has a right to love who he or she loves. Christians believe in freedom of expression except when they don’t.

* No one has the moral or legal authority to deny basic human rights to anyone, including gays.

You may not support same-sex marriage yourself, but I can’t see how what other people do is hurting you so “get over it” and move on. The solution is very simple:

If you oppose same-sex marriage, don’t marry somebody of your same sex.

Otherwise, if someone asks for a cake or some flowers, just sell them what they want and don’t ask them to show proof of their sexual orientation. Cake is just cake and flowers are just flowers. They're the same no matter who you love.

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