摘译|肯尼迪法官同性婚姻判决多数意见书

(道地英文随手记，2015.06.27）

美最高法26日就俄亥俄州公民奥博格费尔诉州政府一案做出裁决。美最高法在裁决决定中表示，根据美国宪法第十四修正案，婚姻是所有人享有的平等权利，因此同性婚姻是受宪法保护的。

支持同性婚姻的大法官肯尼迪在主要意见书中写道，婚姻是两个人结合的最高形式，它代表着爱、忠诚、奉献、牺牲和家庭。同性伴侣的结合会让他们变得更加伟大。他表示，有人认为同性婚姻是对婚姻的不尊重，这种观念是一种误读，同性伴侣尊重婚姻。

今天的道地英文随手记的特别篇，来自最高法肯尼迪大法官多数意见书的19 BEST LINES快速翻译版……吃饭以前只能译到第三条，有时间就持续更新……

彩虹旗

The Constitution promises liberty to all within its reach, a liberty that includes certain specific rights that allow persons, within a lawful realm, to define and express their identity.

宪法对其庇荫之一切许诺以自由，这一自由涵盖数种特定权利，允许人们在合法领域内定义、表达他们的身份。

The centrality of marriage to the human condition makes it unsurprising that the institution has existed for millennia and across civilizations. Since the dawn of history, marriage has transformed strangers into relatives, binding families and societies together. Confucius taught that marriage lies at the foundation of government. 2 Li Chi: Book of Rites 266.

婚姻制度居于人类事务之中心地位，存世千年之久，横跨不同文明，并无意外。自人类历史破晓以来，因有婚姻，素不相识之人结为至亲，家庭社会者纽带历久弥固。孔子曾有言：礼，其政之本与！

To [gay marriage foes], [same-sex marriage] would demean a timeless institution if the concept and lawful status of marriage were extended to two persons of the same sex. Marriage, in their view, is by its nature a gender-differentiated union of man and woman. This view long has been held—and continues to be held—in good faith by reasonable and sincere people here and throughout the world.

The petitioners acknowledge this history but contend that these cases cannot end there. Were their intent to demean the revered idea and reality of marriage, the petitioners’ claims would be of a different order. But that is neither their purpose nor their submission. To the contrary, it is the enduring importance of marriage that underlies the petitioners’ contentions. This, they say, is their whole point. Far from seeking to devalue marriage, the petitioners seek it for themselves because of their respect—and need—for its privileges and responsibilities. And their immutable nature dictates that same-sex marriage is their only real path to this profound commitment.

对（同性婚姻的反对者）而言，倘若婚姻的概念与法律地位被延伸到同性的两人，一项悠久的制度将被亵渎。他们认为，婚姻天生是男人和女人、不同性别间的结合。这一观点长久以来——未来也会继续——得到在场及全球范围内通情达理、满怀真挚的人们诚心实意的支持。

请愿者们知晓这段历史，但坚称上述情形绝非终了。若请愿者意在亵渎婚姻的神圣理念与现实，他们的诉求应当大相径庭。但这既非本意，也非屈从。相反，正是婚姻持久的重要性支撑了请愿者的论点。这一点，据他们说，是他们全部的论辩。所谓贬低婚姻，去其诉求者远矣；因婚姻之特权与责任，而尊重乃至需要婚姻，方其真心。而天性不可违，同性婚姻注定是他们通往这一深切承诺的唯一真径。

（未完，待续）