This week, the debate over the rights of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) community came up in the news. First, North Carolina banned same-sex marriage (see this article from the Washington Post, North Carolina approves ban on same-sex marriage). Then, President Obama came out in favor of same-sex marriage (see the video below).
One of Moraine Valley’s core values is diversity. Our campus has taken a firm stance to affirm the value of all people on our campus, which includes sexual orientation. Here is the statement from our Diversity and Inclusion statement:
“Acknowledging, understanding, appreciating, embracing and integrating individual differences and similarities by deliberately fostering a climate of respect that affirms the value and contributions of each individual on your campus.
“Individual differences and similarities may include, but are not limited to: age, race, religion, disability, national origin, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status, socio-economic status or class, geography, learning styles, language, culture, political ideology, values, and experiences.”
If you are interested in joining the national debate, our library has some great resources. First, you may want to look at the book Religion and Sexuality edited by Kevin Hillstrom, which is located in our library. Since most of the debate around same-sex marriage has it’s origins in religion, this book may be particularly useful.
For more background, you may want to look at Kenneth Jost’s 2008 article, “Gay marriage showdowns” in CQ Researcher (MVCC ID required from off campus). Even though this article is a few years old, most of the issues remain the same.
One difference since 2008 is that Illinois passed its civil union law in 2011, which provides all of the same benefits for same-sex couples that different-sex couples enjoy. You can learn more about Illinois’ law at Equality Illinois’ page on Civil Unions.
Here is the video about Obama’s stance on same-sex marriage and the fall presidential election.
Obama’s Support for Gay Marriage: How Will it Help, Hurt Politically?
Watch Obama’s Support for Gay Marriage and its Political Effect on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.