Separation between Church and State of Happiness© Louisa Garcia 2009
Separation between Church and State of Happiness When I first proposed the idea for this controversial shoot to friends and family, I got a lot of looks, a few criticisms and at least two handfuls of support. One friend told me I would have to watch my back. That it was the kind of shoot that would literally get me shot. I shrugged my shoulders and said, "So be it. It needs to be done."
The inspiration for this shoot derived from several articles I read pertaining to same sex marriage and whether or not it should be approved by the government. The articles focused on one particular senator and reverend from the Bronx who rallied the Hispanic community against gay marriage in the name of religion.
This kind of rally, in the name of God, seemed very reminiscent of the early 1960's when black and white could not marry. It was unlawful and ungodly until the justices of the supreme court deemed it otherwise. It is, unfortunately, a union that is still frowned upon, but nonetheless, it is widely accepted.
Now myself, being heterosexual and a young Hispanic, I felt someone from our community should speak up. Not all of us are against gay marriage. We are the "live and let live" generation. As for our government, religion has no place there. As the constitution states, church and state are to be kept separate. Why should anyone living under our constitution be denied the right to marry freely and devoid from any church influences? Homosexuals aren't asking to be married by the church, they are asking to be married by the state.
In this photograph, a lot can be interpreted, but the underlining tone is injustice and in it, a weighted opinion. I hope the viewer can look passed the seemingly violent photo to the bigger message.
And I welcome any criticism and thoughts.
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What's unfortunate about this is that people use Religion as a scape goat to outlaw things that they don't agree with and this has basically going on for our whole existence and then some ie. The Crusades, the Witch Burnings, Gay Marriage and there are only a few I can think of.
ReplyDeleteThere are PLENTY of small minded people out there, so I can only imagine that this will go on for eternity. No one can flat-out call themselves racist, sexist, envious, greedy-- they all use religion as their primary excuse for thought.
On a second note, I'm actually quite shocked that you got "looks" from your friends regarding this idea. When you showed me the pics, I wasn't really bothered by it, in a sense that I wasn't overwhelmed by the controversy of it (which is good in my opinion, since I don't think it was forced in anyway). You know what I"m talking about, some people just try too damned hard. What I see in your picture is something simple and to the point. I see artistry here in it's most honest sense. I see real talent and not just a photograph trying to fulfill an artist standard.
Brava!