Acting Gay a Sin, Sayeth Rudy

On Sunday, Former New York Mayor and Republican Presidential Candidate Rudy Giuliani was asked by Tim Russert of NBC's "Meet the Press" whether he agreed with Mike Huckabee that homosexuality amounted to an "aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle."

Giuliani's reply, courtesy of Edge Boston:

Giuliani told Russert, "My moral views on this come from the Catholic Church."

Continued Giuliani, "I believe that homosexuality, heterosexuality, as a way of somebody leads their life isn't sinful. It's the acts--it's the various acts that people perform that are sinful, not the orientation that they have."

Rudy is a problem, but he's not the problem. A quick visit to The Giuliani Files reveals the candidate's past support for LGBTQ issues. If you take him at his word, his statement on Meet the Press could be interpreted as a statement of support for Gay Marriage rights.

When he says that there's nothing sinful about being gay, but that certain acts are sinful, I can only interpret that to mean that he objects, morally, to sex outside marriage. He bolsters that interpretation later in the reply when he says, "I've had my own sins that I've had to confess."

Since Rudy doesn't consider being gay a sin, only the act of sex outside of marriage, I can only conclude that the former Mayor is calling for his gay brothers and sisters to be permitted to be their non-sinful selves under the sacred protection of marriage. Either that, or he supports legally mandated sin.

The reason I say that I don't think Rudy's the problem is this: We, the good people of the United States of America, are making him do it. Him, and any other candidate who wants a real shot at the White House. Of course, it's all a matter of degree, and Rudy definitely deserves to be lambasted for backing away from his support for LGBTQ issues just to get votes, but all of the candidates have similarly contradictory stances.

Why is this? We live in a country that clearly forbids the establishment of a religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Ergo, our laws ought not be concerned with whether an act is a "sin", nor should our laws confer "sacred" status on anything. These are personal beliefs. By denying gay people the right to marry, however, we are effectively forcing them to "live in sin." We are denying them the choice to live in grace with God.

Legalizing Gay Marriage, on the other hand, does not force anyone to change their religious beliefs, any more than the First Amendment forces them to believe in Santa Claus or evolution. It only forces them to recognize the legal right of consenting adults to practice their religion, and to receive equal protection under the law.

Still, the American public is a mixed bag on this issue. The most broadly popular stance, for the moment, is to favor Civil Unions. This seems to be a reasonable compromise, but it's actually the least reasonable position I can think of. Basically, it means you believe that gay people deserve to be equal, but God won't quite let you do it.

The most recent polling data suggests to me a public that overwhelmingly favors treating gay people fairly in almost every respect, yet will punish any candidate who favors full marriage rights for gays. The numbers fluctuate wildly, too, depending on how the question is asked, but taken as a whole, I see a clear majority of Americans who know that gay people deserve equality, but can't square that with their religious beliefs.

So, what's the problem? Most religions say it's a sin to covet, but there's no law against it. Why are we making politicians jump through hoops because we can't understand the difference between the word "sinful" and the word "unlawful"? This is only even a question in our minds because the status quo happens to agree with our religion. Imagine if you will that you lived in a country that didn't recognize your parental rights for some religious reason, say, divorce. Would the general population's unease with you make that any easier to take, or any righter?

Americans' attitudes about workplace discrimination indicate to me that we, as a people, have an overwhelming sense of fairness. 89% of Americans favor equal employment rights for gay people. The only reason I can think of not to extend that approval to all rights, including marriage, is religion. By denying marriage rights to gays, however, we are denying them the right to practice their religion, denying them, by law, the right to see their union sanctified in the eyes of God.

I agree with Rudy, that's just plain wrong.