This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On the surface, the popular comparison of the fight for gay marriage with the civil rights movement seems to make sense. Both are painted as the rights of minorities being repressed by the intolerant views of others. But this comparison is deeply flawed and dishonest.
The ability of a person to ride a bus, use a restroom or enter a restaurant has nothing to do with the color of his or her skin. Segregation is based on a purely racial motive, assuming that blacks and whites are fundamentally different simply because of skin color.
On the other hand, males and females are completely and fundamentally different, and in no place are these differences more critical and relevant than in the institution of marriage.
The comparison of the plight of gays to racial segregation is a transparent attempt to ride the emotional coattails of past wrongs, and it undermines the gravity of racial segregation.
Ryan Phillips
Herriman