As expected, President Bush today endorsed the proposal to amend the Constitution of the United States to ban same-sex marriage.  Despite his repeated claims that marriage must be “defended” and “protected,” he and other opponents of same-sex marriage cannot tell us how granting same-sex couples the right to marry would interfere with the ability of heterosexual couples to marry and raise children.  Does he somehow believe that heterosexual marriage would end if gay and lesbian couples were allowed to marry?

As justification for the proposed amendment, President Bush can only offer vague references to tradition, which essentially amount to “We’ve always done it this way.”  This is the stance taken when people can offer no substantive or logical rationale for their position.  We have not heard one single public policy reason why discrimination against lesbian and gay Americans should be enshrined in our Constitution.  What we have heard instead is an attempt to pass off prejudice, bigotry and fear as legitimate bases for public policy decisions.

President Bush is using the language of fear to rally support around him at a time when public dissatisfaction with his performance as President is at an all-time high.  History is full of examples of public officials and rulers using fear as a way of diverting attention from other issues.  It’s ugly, and all Americans should condemn this attempt to scapegoat their gay and lesbian fellow citizens.

President Bush also decries the rulings of what he calls “activist” judges.  If lawmakers were working to protect the rights of all Americans, there would be no need for our courts to come to the defense of minority groups who are being threatened by the majority.  Let us not forget that many of our country’s most important strides forward in civil and human rights have come through the courts, because legislators have far too often been unwilling to confront discrimination.

Lastly, President Bush closed his remarks today with an appeal to Americans to “match strong convictions with kindness and good will and decency.”  What is kind or good or decent about attempting to permanently deny equality under the law to millions of lesbian and gay Americans?  What is kind or good or decent about using fear to turn one group of Americans against another?  This is not “compassionate” conservatism – it’s merely hatred packaged with a smile.