2015 was truly a monumental year for progressives in the United States. The Fair Housing Act was upheld, subsidies for recipients of the Affordable Care Act were ratified, the Confederate flag seems to be on its way out, and perhaps most importantly the Supreme Court ruled that states must recognize same-sex marriage under the Fourteenth Amendment.
After re-watching the excellent documentary Trekkies, I was struck by a scene featuring two homosexual Star Trek fans. This scene was shot around 1999, a time when gay men and women in the US did not enjoy the same level of acceptance that they do currently. These two men, both wearing Starfleet uniforms in the tradition of the show’s cast, praised the show and its creator Gene Roddenberry for it’s forward-thinking and optimistic view of the future. At the end of the interview, one of these men, with tears in his eyes, hoped for a day when they could enjoy equality with heterosexual couples under the law.
Well, here we are in 2016, and gay marriage is in the books, so to speak. While I believe that prejudice against homosexuals, just as prejudice against African Americans and other minority groups, will continue for decades to come, this has been a step forward. One day, I foresee a future where true freedom exists for people of all sexual orientations.
For centuries, those who engage in incestuous relationships have been persecuted. Perhaps the most poignant example in recent memory is the demonized coupling of siblings Jaime and Cersei Lannister from the hit HBO series Game of Thrones.
These two characters hold high social status, grew up together, love each other, and share three children, but are forced to keep their relationship “in the closet”. They are publicly besmirched and their children vilified for what essentially consists of a loving relationship where a brother happens to want to sleep with his sister. Let’s not forget that this taboo exists in a world where people are routinely raped, murdered, sold into slavery, and set on fire by dragons.
Historically, homosexuality has been decried as unnatural. Science has been enlightening in it’s uncovering of homosexuality’s prevalence in the natural world. Similarly, incest is common throughout the animal kingdom – the vast majority of microbial organisms breed asexually, which can be viewed as the ultimate incestuous relationship. “But that’s just bacteria!”, you might say, but studies show that the vast majority of the human genome was acquired during the early microbial stages of our evolution.
While I think it’s important for us to celebrate the achievement of universal same-sex marriage, there are more frontiers to explore and more goals to accomplish. It is important that we not rest our sexual progressivism on the plight of homosexual, and even inter-familial, relationships.
I rest my case.
P.S. If the Jonathon Swift reference didn’t tip you off, this article is meant as satire… but seriously, give it some thought.