The New York State Assembly late Wednesday passed a homosexual “marriage” bill that next will be considered by state Senators.
In a video released earlier that same day by the National Organization of Marriage, David Tyree, the New York Giants wide receiver who caught the last-minute touchdown pass in Super Bowl LXII that ended the New England Patriots’ quest for a perfect season, spoke out on the supreme importance of preserving traditional marriage as the foundation of society, and of defeating the New York same-sex marriage bill.
When asked what he thought would happen if same-sex marriage were legalized across the country, Tyree, a devout Christian and father of four, replied:
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What I know will happen if this comes forth is this will be the beginning of our country sliding toward, it is a strong word, but anarchy. The moment we have [widespread same-sex marriage], if you trace back even to other cultures, other countries, that will be the moment where our society in itself loses its grip with what’s right. It’s about what’s right.
How can marriage be marriage for thousands of years and now all of a sudden because a minority — an influential minority — has a push or an agenda, [it] totally reshapes something that was not founded in our country, not founded by man? It [traditional marriage] is something that is holy and sacred. I think there is nothing more honorable, worth fighting for, especially if we really care about our future generations. Marriage is one of those things that is the backbone of society. So if you redefine it, it changes the way we educate our children, it changes the perception of what is good, what is right, what is just.
The statements of Tyree, an African American, come at a time when black families not only have to cope with the contortion of the definition of marriage to include homosexual couples and, conceivably, polygamy and incestuous marriages as well, but also when it is increasingly likely that black babies will be born into fatherless homes.
When the Civil Rights Act was passed in the mid-1960s, out of wedlock births among black Americans was about 25 percent, a high figure at the time. In the four decades since then, out-of-wedlock births among black Americans has soared to 70 percent. Robert Rector at the Heritage Foundation noted that while black out-of-wedlock births jumped 45 percentage points, white out-of-wedlock births jumped only 20 percentage points, from five percent to 25 percent.
The direct connection between out-of-wedlock births and family poverty is well established. David Eggebeen and Daniel Lichter observed in the American Sociological Review:
This [rising out-of-wedlock birth rate] implies that the changing black family structure in the 1980s accounted for roughly 65% of the increase in official poverty among black children. Black family shifts in the 1980s also accounted for 51% of the increase in deep poverty, and about 90% of the growth in relative poverty.
What Tyree said about homosexual marriage would be just as applicable to the scourge of children born out of wedlock. The absence of a biological father has historically been deemed a profound disadvantage for children growing up. Americans get that fact. Rasmussen has just released a poll that shows 77 percent of all Americans believe that it is very important for children to grow up in a home with both parents, while only four percent believe it is not important at all. Interestingly, of those who grew up in a home with both mother and father, 80 percent believe that having both parents present is very important. Respondents who were denied that benefit still think it is very important, but by a smaller number of 63 percent.
While gay rights groups assert that a gay “step-parent” is really a parent, that is patently untrue. Children still have a biological father and a biological mother. While social engineering politicians may attempt to change the definition of “parent” to include a homosexual person living with a custodial parent, the genetic connection simply does not exist. Moreover, even if a homosexual “spouse” is considered a step-parent, children raised by mothers and step-fathers or fathers and step-mothers have been shown generally to have less stability, higher suicide rates, and a host of other problems.
Marriage has been the foundation of human society since the dawn of time, particularly Judeo-Christian society. The traditional family has proven to be the social and emotional safety net which lengthens life, reduces poverty, and increases happiness. And David Tyree, believing that God has blessed His creation with this institution, is willing to defend it as vital to the survival of America.
Photo: New York Giants receiver David Tyree (85) celebrates with teammates after his 5-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots during the Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3, 2008.
