SAME-SEX MARRIAGE? WHAT ABOUT THE FAMILY? Viral Images for Equality

by Jennifer Johnson
Clash Daily Contributor

June of 2013 was the last time the Supreme Court made a ruling on marriage. Remember how those “equals” signs went viral on social media at that time? Why was that? I think one reason is that people really care about the ideal of equality. They believe that we should treat others fairly. I agree that equality is a good ideal. It is not a perfect ideal, but it is a good one. We might wish the general public would talk about the marriage issue using other concepts, but they don’t. Right or wrong, they care about equality and that’s how they think about marriage. So, since we know they care about equality, shouldn’t we talk about equality too? We can. And we can do it without sacrificing our principles.

A while back I discovered that we can incorporate equality into the marriage issue by saying this:

“Family structure equality for children.”

After all, “Family structure equality for children,” is just another way of saying what we’ve already been saying, such as:
— One man, one woman, for life
— Every child needs a mom and a dad
— Children do best with a mom and a dad
— I’m sure you see the similarities.

The Supreme Court is getting ready to rule again on marriage.Their ruling comes out this week.[Editor’s Note: This column was submitted before the Supreme Court’s June 26 decision.] I won’t be surprised to see those “equals” signs going viral again and I hope you are not either. As a way to show your friends and family that you care about equality too, please consider using the image below as your profile photo on Facebook, Twitter, etc., for the next few days.

Our use of equality is more fair than what the opposing side promotes, don’t you agree? We specifically include the kids, and they don’t.

Jennifer Johnson is Associate Director at the Ruth Institute.