The Slippery Slope of Gay Marriage is REAL!

One argument used frequently in the battle against gay marriage is The Slippery Slope. If we allow two adults of the same sex who love each other get married, what might be next? What horrifying reality will be foisted upon us if this twisted perversion occurs?

It's a fair point, really. And history has shown that the Slippery Slope is a very real phenomenon.

In 1776, voting was limited to white, property-owning men who were not Jews, Catholics or Quakers (a few other limitations as well). As non-property-owning-white-men wanted to vote, The Conservatives wondered, "What next - will Catholics and Jews want to vote as well?"

In 1828, Maryland allowed Jews to vote. The Conservatives wondered, "What next - will African-Americans want to be allowed to be free citizens?"

As Emancipation neared in the 1850's and 1860's, African-Americans wanted to be freed from slavery. In opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1866 (granting citizenship to native-born Americans), The Conservatives cried, "If blacks are free, they'll want to vote!"

Fighting the passage of the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution, The Conservatives were in a tizzy: "If we allow black men to vote, pretty soon women will want to vote, too!"

As Suffragists worked tirelessly to allow women to vote, The Conservatives were in an uproar, "If they can vote, they might want equal jobs and equal pay!"

With women entering the workplace, a social revolution was underway. Suddenly African-Americans, who were free and had a technical right to vote, actually wanted to utilize that right. As the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's was gaining steam, The Conservatives were concerned, "If African-Americans get full equality, pretty soon they'll want to marry white people!"

In 1967, after the Supreme Court ended all race-based restrictions on marriage, The Conservatives were frightened, "What next, will the gays want to marry?"

Homosexuals do want the right to be married. More than likely, they will get that right, despite the cries of "Slippery Slope!" from The Conservatives. And you know what? Out there in America are more groups of people who feel disenfranchised. They are hoping that gay marriage will pass, that change will come for one group, because they want their chance. Maybe freedom for one can eventually mean freedom for all.

It is a Slippery Slope. Our country has slid form a land where white, land-owning Protestants had full and total control, to a country where nearly all citizens have the right to pursue their happiness. As the horrors of the realized Slippery Slope unfolded, more Americans gained rights and freedoms. The Slippery Slope has created a country with more equality for more people.

Maybe the Slippery Slope isn't such a bad thing, after all.