I am a gay person who isn’t that invested in securing a lot of rights it seems most other gay folk want. I don’t really believe in marriage and outside a couple of school fights growing up (not related to my sexuality) I’m not a fan of war, so access to the armed forces isn’t in my top five. Quite often when I see gays marching for equality around marriage, I want to remind them of the old saying–“equal does not mean the same.” Perhaps domestic partnership is as far as this one will go. Or maybe all is not lost.

As for marriage and military, plenty of dollars are lost due to discrimination. Soon enough America will learn, the claim to Christianity is costly. With the economy struggling the way it is, it would behoove everyone to put the equality rhetoric in the backseat and focus on something a bit more universally sought–the mighty dollar. Gay marriage would save struggling states from financial ruin. Ask Massachusetts, they’ve seen over $110 million dollars in spending on gay marriage since the ban was lifted. Estimates for Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell are much higher, with the government spending an additional $363 million to recruit and train new soldiers after gay ones were dismissed. A figure believed to be much higher once one takes into account the intellectual capital lost.

Of course, the financial toll is not the most important issue facing our nation, nor is it the most important for homosexuals fighting for a nation that doesn’t recognize their rights, but perhaps if we can get things situated in the finance department we can buy ourselves a bit more time to investigate our moral obligations. Until then, Wu Tang put it best, “Cash Rules Everything Around Me.”