“All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” – George Orwell, Animal Farm

In November 2008, after a hugely expensive and divisive campaign, California voters narrowly passed Proposition 8, which legally defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman. A gay couple challenged this law in court as an unconstitutional limit on their civil rights to marry and receive equal treatment under the law per the 14th Amendment.

On Wednesday, a federal judge ruled in favor of the couple, saying Proposition 8 was unconstitutional. Prop-8 supporters plan to appeal. Many observers believe the case will reach the Supreme Court within a year or two, which could finally produce a nationwide standard on the legality of gay marriage.

Around the time of the November 2008 elections, I was more interested in the presidential race than an issue in California that didn’t affect me. The issue itself produced mixed emotions in me, so I didn’t have a strong opinion either way. But after thinking about it recently, I have reached a conclusion that surprises me but also gives me peace: I now agree with yesterday’s court decision.

I am a happily married, straight male who loves Jesus, reads the Bible, and supports the rights of gay couples to marry.

How can this be?, you might ask. To me, gay marriage is a separate issue from the morality of homosexuality.

The latter generates more disagreement within Christendom than many Christians realize, especially in the Bible Belt. Although I must admit that I want to, so far I’m not willing to do the textual gymnastics necessary to say the Bible approves of homosexual relationships.

However, gay marriage is a legal issue, rather than a moral one, and America is a democracy, not a theocracy. We don’t create our laws to enforce any particular interpretation of the Bible. The President is not the head of the Church of America, and I am thankful for the separation of church and state, for the right to live for my God in the way I think best rather than having a government official interpret the Bible for me. If you want a theocracy, you can get close if you’re willing to move. Check out Iran, Saudi Arabia, or Afghanistan.

Our laws generally aim to prevent people and groups from hurting each other or society as a whole. They still give us plenty of leeway on many issues and allow us to do many things that the Bible forbids. There is no law against adultery, for example. Or smoking. Or lying to your boss. Or being a greedy, materialistic jerk. The law considers these moral issues rather than legal issues and doesn’t significantly interfere with our freedom to hurt ourselves in these ways.

But in the law’s eyes, gay marriage is different.

The vast majority of Americans are straight. I would guess that the majority are at best uncomfortable with the idea of the gay lifestyle. Despite all our talk about America’s being the land of the free, where all men are equal under the law, in many circles it’s still acceptable to treat men and women as inferior if they happen to be gay. With apologies to Orwell, we act as if:

All men are equal, but heterosexuals are more equal.

We used to treat women as second-class citizens. Then the laws changed, and over time we have righted that wrong to a large degree. We used to allow whites to own blacks as slaves. Then the laws changed, and over time we have righted that wrong to a large degree, even to the point that a black man is now our President. Yet most states continue to deny gays the right to marry simply because many people disagree with certain aspects of their lifestyle.

I cannot in good conscience support such a position.

Does God intend marriage to mean one man and one woman? I think so. But I don’t think the American government should get to make that call for us, and within another year or two, I predict that it won’t be able to.