No on CA Prop 8. And here's why.
Oct. 24th, 2008 10:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dbskylerOkay everyone, I am going to get both serious and political now.
I'm a Californian. Okay, I live in New York at the moment, but I'm still a Californian. I grew up there, my friends and family are there, my favorite Thai restaurant is there . . . you get the picture. And right now there is a proposition on the California ballot that, if it passes, will for the first time in my state's history reduce civil rights instead of expanding them. It's Proposition 8, and it is trying to amend the state's constitution so that gay marriage is abolished.
There's a lot of money that's gone towards trying to get this proposition passed. A lot of money, and a lot of it is coming from people outside the state. That's right, people who don't live in California, have no ties to California, may never even have been to California want to change our state's constitution. All to promote their own agenda. And California's airwaves are being inundated with commercials that twist facts and try to promote fear. (Now whose tactics does that remind me of?)
Here's the truth: by voting "no" on Proposition 8, NOTHING CHANGES! Schools will not suddenly have to teach elementary school children all about gay marriage. Come on, think about it -- is anyone saying they have to do that now? And if they don't have to do that now, how is NOT changing our constitution going to make them suddenly have to? Gay marriage is not on the STAR exam, guys. But don't take my word for it -- listen to what California's Superintendent of Schools has to say.
Now I've heard some intelligent, well-meaning people say that while they support civil rights for gays, they're uncomfortable with the idea of gay marriage. And the sticking point seems to be the word "marriage." To these people, that word implies things that are associated with religion. And they feel that civil unions / domestic partnerships already confer all the same rights as marriage, so why can't there be civil unions for gays and marriage for heterosexuals and let's all just get along?
Here's the problem with that -- a civil union is not a marriage. It's not the same, just as "separate but equal" did not mean the same as "equal" back when people wanted to keep the little black kids away from the little white kids. But no one is trying to change your religion's definition of marriage. Marriage as it is defined in our state constitution -- and remember, that's what Prop 8 is trying to change -- is a governmental definition of marriage, not a religious one. If your religious beliefs say that married gay people aren't "really" married in the eyes of God, well, those are your beliefs. And you're entitled to them. Some Catholics believe that divorced Catholics who remarry aren't really married, and some Jews believe that divorced Jews who remarry without getting a religious divorce aren't really married. Those beliefs are completely separate from who's on your insurance policy, and who gets to have visitation rights in the hospital, and who gets inheritance, and all those other little legal niceties that go along with the state's definition of marriage. It has nothing to do with religion. That's separation of church and state.
So, I hope that if you're in California, I've persuaded you why it's so important that you vote no. If you're not in California but want to do something to defeat the proposition, you can help out by donating here.
Finally, here's a little video to leave off with -- hope you enjoy,
Thanks for reading.
I'm a Californian. Okay, I live in New York at the moment, but I'm still a Californian. I grew up there, my friends and family are there, my favorite Thai restaurant is there . . . you get the picture. And right now there is a proposition on the California ballot that, if it passes, will for the first time in my state's history reduce civil rights instead of expanding them. It's Proposition 8, and it is trying to amend the state's constitution so that gay marriage is abolished.
There's a lot of money that's gone towards trying to get this proposition passed. A lot of money, and a lot of it is coming from people outside the state. That's right, people who don't live in California, have no ties to California, may never even have been to California want to change our state's constitution. All to promote their own agenda. And California's airwaves are being inundated with commercials that twist facts and try to promote fear. (Now whose tactics does that remind me of?)
Here's the truth: by voting "no" on Proposition 8, NOTHING CHANGES! Schools will not suddenly have to teach elementary school children all about gay marriage. Come on, think about it -- is anyone saying they have to do that now? And if they don't have to do that now, how is NOT changing our constitution going to make them suddenly have to? Gay marriage is not on the STAR exam, guys. But don't take my word for it -- listen to what California's Superintendent of Schools has to say.
Now I've heard some intelligent, well-meaning people say that while they support civil rights for gays, they're uncomfortable with the idea of gay marriage. And the sticking point seems to be the word "marriage." To these people, that word implies things that are associated with religion. And they feel that civil unions / domestic partnerships already confer all the same rights as marriage, so why can't there be civil unions for gays and marriage for heterosexuals and let's all just get along?
Here's the problem with that -- a civil union is not a marriage. It's not the same, just as "separate but equal" did not mean the same as "equal" back when people wanted to keep the little black kids away from the little white kids. But no one is trying to change your religion's definition of marriage. Marriage as it is defined in our state constitution -- and remember, that's what Prop 8 is trying to change -- is a governmental definition of marriage, not a religious one. If your religious beliefs say that married gay people aren't "really" married in the eyes of God, well, those are your beliefs. And you're entitled to them. Some Catholics believe that divorced Catholics who remarry aren't really married, and some Jews believe that divorced Jews who remarry without getting a religious divorce aren't really married. Those beliefs are completely separate from who's on your insurance policy, and who gets to have visitation rights in the hospital, and who gets inheritance, and all those other little legal niceties that go along with the state's definition of marriage. It has nothing to do with religion. That's separation of church and state.
So, I hope that if you're in California, I've persuaded you why it's so important that you vote no. If you're not in California but want to do something to defeat the proposition, you can help out by donating here.
Finally, here's a little video to leave off with -- hope you enjoy,
Thanks for reading.