Scott Stantis changes mind on same-sex marriage
Skip to commentsConservative editorial cartoonist Scott Stantis has changed his position on same-sex marriage. The Chicago Tribune editorial cartoonist ran a cartoon last week depicting Abraham Lincoln holding a rainbow colored flag in response to Illinois state lawmakers approving same-sex marriage for their state. He states that he had always been protective of the sanctity of marriage, but now finds that fighting same-sex marriage is discriminatory and not inline with his Libertarian leanings.
Full disclosure here. Ten years ago I would not have drawn this cartoon. On the contrary, in my editorial cartoons and in my comic strip, Prickly City, I was adamantly opposed to the notion of gay marriage.
Not that I hated my gay friends but that I was being protective of the sanctity of marriage. A cornerstone of western culture for thousands of years. To redefine it so radically took a lot of thinking. Over the decade I did just that. Growing to realize that it was, firstly, discriminatory to deny Americans the right to enter willingly into a civil union allowed to others. Finally, recognizing the moral obligation dictated by my Libertarian leanings that the individual has the right to define his or her relationships in whatever fashion they feel best suits them.
So hurrah for Illinois. Here’s hoping the rest of the United States follows suit and we can confront, together, the daunting issues that challenge us.
Tom Richmond
birdie Birdashaw
Gerry Mooney
Mike Lester
Carl Moore
Joe Engesser
Scott Stantis
G Louis Johnson
John Auchter
Terry LaBan