Thursday, October 23, 2008

No on Prop 8 in California

I know I don't live in California anymore, but it seems the state is a starting point in our nation. Ideas and movements tend to start in our largest metropolitan areas and spread to the rest of the nation over time. I've been getting bombarded with Yes on Prop 8 propaganda from a friend of mine that still lives in SoCal and it's really had me thinking.
There's an ad the Yes on 8 campaign shows - a little girl runs into the kitchen as her mom is preparing dinner: "Mommy Mommy! Guess what I learned in school today!" her mother smiles and asks her what? "I learned a prince married a prince and I can marry a princess!" Oh the horror. Yeah, they're trying pretty hard to "protect marriage" down there in California right now. And if you ask a Prop 8 supporter why they want to take these rights away from gay couples, they'll tell you all about protecting their children, the school curriculum, etc. And they'll quickly point out to you this is not unfair to gay couples in the least: gay couples already have all the rights married couples have anyway! They can be joined in a civil union (I believe this classifies them as "domestic partners"?), they are entitled to share health benefits, etc etc. Well doesn't that all sound nice? So why would they even need to be married huh?
I'm sorry. When I married my husband, it had nothing to do with our tax status or sharing health benefits, or even being deemed somehow legally legitimate. I married him because I am madly in love with him and it was important to me that I commit my life to him in tradition and ceremony.
The whole thing makes me a little mad.
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5 comments:

  1. It seems that those who are against this are worried that maybe their kids will look at this and think that it's OK to be gay, and that's the biggest fear. "Oh no! My child is gay!" They don't even want that idea put into their child's head, that it's a possibility for them. In my opinion, it all comes down to parenting and educating your children anyhow. Do I worry that Dante and Noah will turn out to be gay? Sure, but only because I know the lifestyle and the stigma that goes along with that. Do I want to keep them blind to that possibility? No way, only because if they are, I don't want them to hide it and then one day "come out of the closet" and find out they went through hell in the confusion of figuring things out for themselves. I'm pretty confident that if you are a good example to your children with how loving you are to your spouse, that will make a difference in their sexual preference, but even if it doesn't I'd rather they know they can talk to my wife and I about it before it has damaging effects.

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  2. That all being said, I think it's horrible to not allow same sex marriages. I'm not gay, never have been, but I know that there are those couples who really love one another, and they want to make it official. Who am I to deny them? What gives me the right to say, "sorry, you can't pledge life long love to your partner because I don't have the same sexual preference." In truth, I think that it is better for everyone if they are allowed to get married. It will cut down on infidelity between gay couples and encourage others that want a life long partner to lead a less promiscuous lifestyle, and in turn reduce healthcare costs down the road.

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  3. there was a good south park about this. the boy scouts leader was gay and the parents thought he would turn their kids gay. so they got a very macho scout leader instead and he ended up making them take pictures with their clothes off. i know it's just a cartoon and that shouldn't be funny. but it showed how we are probably alot better off letting children be exposed to something so common as being gay. like a million stand up comedians said it before," gays should have as much right to be miserable with their spouse" like the majority of Californians. they are trying to protect the so called sanctity of marriage when we ruined that with drive thru weddings and divorces.i can't believe the way they are handling this. when did gay become wrong and anti-american? they treat these people as if they aren't people at all. they are asking people who have know understanding for even the word gay to decide these peoples rights. their were over 707,196 gay couples in the US in 1994. that number has greatly increased over and my hope is that our understanding and support for those that live an little different has increased as well.

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  4. Voting yes on Proposition 8 is so gay. :)

    Live and let live, yo.

    It's like these people think it's contagious. It's that same thinking that sends young gay kids to counseling to cure their gayness. WTF?!

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  5. That ad was hilarious in a very disturbing way. My favorite argument is: "but if we redefine marriage people will be able to marry goats and society will fall apart!"

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