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Californians: Vote No on 8

My opposition to Proposition 8 has already been filed and noted, but I wish to expand, briefly, upon why I think that a no vote on eight is important, and to urge you to vote no on this proposition. A no vote on eight is, quite simply, the right thing to do, whether or not you believe in same sex marriage. This proposition is fundamentally about elimination of a right, and that alone should give you pause.

This proposition is simple: it eliminates the right of same sex couples to marry, and it amends the California Constitution to do so. Both of these things are very dangerous. We should not be toying with the California Constitution to make it align with our personal beliefs and values.

If you are opposed to same sex marriage, I respectfully disagree, but I do not see any reason to belittle you for it. You have your reasons, and I have mine, and I think that both of us deserve respect. It is not for me to tell other people what to do. However, I would like you to think about Proposition 8 as a civil rights issue, because that is what it is.

This proposition is about gender discrimination. It wants to deny people a right on the basis of their gender and sexual orientation. This type of discrimination is banned under numerous laws in California, and the Supreme Court of California seems to agree that banning same sex marriage is unconstitutional. Even if you don’t support same sex marriage, I think you would probably agree with me that the California Constitution is a document which should not be meddled with, because the same clauses which provide protection to same sex couples provide protections to many other people who need them.

I totally support the right of religious officiants to refuse to perform same sex marriages, and that is in no way impacted under the current system. Gay and lesbian couples cannot force religious officiants to carry out marriages for them, and this is as it should be. To force the church to perform rites it does not agree with would be a gross violation of the separation between Church and State.

I do not support proposals for “civil unions” for same sex couples, instead of marriage. The United States Supreme Court has long again weighed in on the “separate but equal” issue, and it has determined that there is no such thing as “separate but equal.” To force same sex couples into civil unions is to deny them equal rights under the law. It also denies them many of the rights and privileges associated with marriage, and it raises a complicated legal tangle, since the status of civil unions is as-yet unclear.

Proponents of Prop 8 have put out a great deal of misinformation about this proposition, and I want to take the time to address some of these lies, because they are important.

Granting same sex couples the right to marry paves the way to polygamy! No, it doesn’t. Polygamy is an entirely separate issue which is clearly banned under the law.

If we let gays get married, then people will start marrying animals! Or children! No. No. No. Same sex marriage is not equivalent to bestiality or pedophilia. Humans cannot (and will never be able to) marry animals because animals do not have the ability to give consent. People cannot marry children under the law because children also lack the ability to give consent. Most gay and lesbian couples fully support age of consent laws, and pretty much everyone is opposed to pedophilia and child molestation. To suggest that gay marriage is equivalent to polygamy, pedophilia, or bestiality is insulting and specious.

What about the children?! Yes, children will probably learn about same sex marriage in school, just like they learn about heterosexual marriage and other aspects of human life and culture. Teachers are not going to be forcing children to swallow the “gay agenda” or embrace same sex marriage for themselves. School is about providing children access to information, so that they can make their own choices.

Marriage and building a family is also about children in the eyes of many people. Clearly, same sex couples can and do have children, and being married provides those children with greater financial, legal, and emotional security. To claim that same sex couples should not get married because they can’t have children is incorrect. Same sex couples can adopt, use donated sperm and eggs, and use surrogates, just like heterosexual couples do by the scores every year.

Same sex marriage is an insult to the institution of marriage. Denying love in any form is an insult to the institution of marriage. Entering into a sacred covenant with someone else and divorcing them is an insult to the institutution of marruage. Same sex marriage may offend your personal morality, but that’s your problem.

Californians, say yes to protecting civil rights in this state, say yes to love, and say no to bigots. Vote no on 8.

Tags: gender, lgbqt, politics