It has been almost a month since a federal district court judge ruled the ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional in Utah. For a short window of time, over 1,000 couples rushed to get marriage licenses in order to gain recognition and rights for their same-sex partnerships. But the joy that these couples experienced was short lived because not long after the ban was lifted, the state of Utah persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to issue a stay while the ruling was being appealed. This meant that all marriages that were once recognized would no longer be seen as valid marriages at the state level.

Friends of mine had gone from having high hopes of finally receiving legal recognition and rights to being told that once again their love would not be recognized a legally legitimate bond.

We are all quite aware of the religious climate in the state of Utah, and it is no surprise that the religious right was involved with pushing for the stay to guarantee the partnerships remain unrecognized. When it comes down to it though, religious beliefs should never be the basis of stripping away legal rights from a minority group.

It is important that during this time the LGBT population and our allies do not let our emotions rule our choices. The key to making change is being level-headed. Organizing and acting as a cohesive unit set out to make change and oppose injustice is more important than ever. The fact that same-sex marriages even occurred in Utah was monumental,and something I didn’t think I’d see for quite some time. It just shows that times are actually changing and the fight for equal rights is progressing.

I read a blog post that really summed up the fight against marriage equality. It read, “Opposing marriage equality is like walking into Subway ordering a sandwich and then seeing the person behind you order the same sandwich and getting angry about it.”

It really is nonsensical to let the actions of others, which have absolutely no affect on you, induce anger and resistance. I will be happy to see the day when we can enjoy our own sandwiches in peace, not letting the actions of others hinder our freedoms.

dhaynie@mavs.coloradomesa.edu