After decades of knocking down barriers, Taiwan’s parliament finally approved a bill last Friday that legalizes same-sex marriage. And this is not just an “obvious win” for LGBT rights activists because this decision will also provide gay and lesbian couples access to the same benefits as heterosexual married couples.
While Taiwan is the first place in Asia to make rainbow history, issues concerning gender and sexuality have long been recognized and performed in Western countries. In the Philippines, the legal battle for gender equality still has a long way to go before it gets fully accepted. And the question of whether same-sex marriage should be legalized becomes more problematic—especially when the church and state are also being brought up into the discussion.
In a Twitter thread, which is titled “My church will not support gay marriage but I support it”, an online user broke down her sentiments about the ongoing issue. Reshared by GP del Rosario, the album now has 1.6K likes, 45 comments, and 3.4K shares as of this writing.
READ"My church will not allow gay marriage but I support it."NOTE: These tweets have been shared with permission but the author refused to be credited.
由 GP del Rosario 发布于 2019年5月28日周二
Although the Twitter user grew up in a very conservative family, she strongly believed that the church and the state are two separate, distinct institutions.
“But my church is not the state, and the state is not my church. By the meaning of the word, my church is exclusive. It only exists for the people who believe in it, while, the state is for everyone, regardless of beliefs. So why should my church’s morals rule over the state?,” she said.
She went on to say that legalizing same-sex marriage equates to providing homosexual couples access to state benefits: “Marriage in state is about access to state benefits – tax cuts, other benefits, and acknowledgment of your monogamy. It requires no belief, and consequently, it does not require adherence with any moral code – including the moral code that homosexuality is supposedly wrong.”
And before this thread completely divides online readers, this Twitter user has left a reminder for her fellow Christians.
“I have other tea abt how the translation of the Bible might’ve caused all this fuss but just to end I really hope we all become more accepting of one another, regardless of beliefs. God made us all free moral agents, so let’s keep it that way and respect each other’s choices.
“Pahabol: If Christians are just “preventing harm bc God will punish nations that disobey Him” mas explicit ang huwag ka papatay so sana same level of rage tayo sa Tokhang and death penalty. If hindi, baka naman homophobic lang, hindi makabayan,” she concluded.
(To follow-up: If Christians are just “preventing harm because God will punish nations that disobey Him”, killing is more explicit so we should have the same level of rage when it comes to tokhang and death penalty. If so, maybe we are just homophobic, not patriotic.)
Do you think the church should not interfere in terms of legalizing same-sex marriage? Tell us in the comments below.
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