Soulforce Q–Youth Shows the Way in NY!

Published July 28, 2007 11:00 pm – Members of national interfaith organization bring their message to Plattsburgh during their summer campaign across the state in support of Equality of Marriage Act.

Young adults campaign for same-sex marriage in New York
By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG
Staff Writer

PLATTSBURGH “” Brian Murphy recently left a pair of shoes with Sen. Joseph Bruno’s staff, asking the New York representative to walk a mile in his shoes.

The California man was one of 32 young adults who fanned out across New York to meet with residents and legislators in support of the New York State Equality of Marriage Act and the right for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender New Yorkers to marry.

“There’s such a need for this,” Murphy said when eight members of Soulforce Q, a national interfaith organization, stopped in Plattsburgh during their two-week Right to Marry Campaign across the state. More

       Once again youth are showing the way. The demographics of polls in favor of same-sex marriage promise us that when the younger generation dominates the voting public–there will be scant opposition to same-sex couples tying the knot.

       In New York this week, Brian Murphy led an attention getting demo by dropping off his shoes at Sen. President Joe Bruno’s office. The young man asked the anti-gay marriage Bruno to “walk a mile in his shoes.”  Bruno has been particularly snide in his comments about how he can block gay marriage for as long as he wants to. Now Soulforce Q, a dedicated group of young people who are pointing out the anti-democratic nature of religious opposition to gay marriage, wants to get other New Yorkers to think about the infringement of religion on politics.

       Soulforce Q enlivens democracy wherever they stop. They remind us that this country is founded on the separation of church and state. Centuries ago our forbearers realized how having church and state intertwined dimished people’s freedoms–particularly religious freedoms. Thus, when this country was founded a cardinal tenet in shaping our democracy was separation of church and state.

       The only opposition to gay marriage is religious opposition. There’s no problem with that. Everyone who is religious is free to hold that view but the problem emerges when folks with anti-gay marriage views start trying to impose their religious beliefs on others through legislative and constitutional laws.

       Maybe we need some more re-enactments of pilgrims leaving Europe to come to these shores to practice religious freedom. I vote for Soulforce Q to teach us those religious lessons and remind us of what democracy is all about. Let’s hear it for democracy and keep our ears to the ground for rumblings of a retro-theocracy.