Holier Than Who?

On May 15, 2008 The Supreme Court recognized same-sex marriage as a fundamental right in the state of California. From May 15 through November 5, 18,000 same sex couples chose to get married. Proposition 8 was devised to reverse this Supreme Court decision, to change the California Constitution to ELIMINATE that right. A successful misinformation campaign was spearheaded by California churches and other religious organizations. The Yes on 8 Coalition succeeded in convincing voters that without Prop 8 their churches would be forced to perform the same sex unions and that schools would be required to teach children about homosexuality. What people seem to be forgetting (or ignoring) is the fact that without Proposition 8, the law would have stayed exactly the same as it had been since May. Following the Supreme Court decision there was no uproar, no change in curriculum, no mandate requiring churches to perform ceremonies that they did not support, only the implementation of equal recognition by the state and the community.
Even if you do not personally support gay marriage, a vote to amend the Constitution and overturn a Supreme Court ruling is a big deal. It seems that we, as a nation have taken a big step forward by electing an African American president but we obviously have a long way to go before we move past all of our discriminatory ways. Some argue that marriage is a traditional union that should be untouchable and unchangeable, but a brief look back to our history shows us that the definition of marriage has, in fact evolved to suit the times. Only since 1948 have interracial marriages been recognized as legal unions in the state of California, even as late as 1968 in some states.
The main supporters and funders of Proposition 8 were religious organizations. I wonder if this violates any boundaries between Church and State. Churches have a lot of untaxed revenue as well as a lot of influence upon their congregations and to decide to pour millions of dollars into a political campaign seems unconstitutional in itself.
Civil liberties should never be left up to a vote. The minority group in question will always end up on the losing side of the battle.
Supporters of the proposition talk of the sanctity of marriage as if there is not a 1:2 divorce rate and daily infidelity as well as numerous other disrespects to the union of marriage. Traditional marriage is rare in today’s society, most families are made up of step parents or single parents. The average person has more contact with divorced couples than with gay couples or even gay individuals. Nobody is asking you to embrace homosexuality, you do not have to help them, you do not have to applaud them, you do not have to support them but why deny them a basic happiness that comes and goes so easily for you and I? Your religion tells you it’s wrong? Your conscience? What about your heart? Shouldn’t religion be about spreading and sharing happiness? What about doing unto others as we would have them do unto us? Must we, in our fear of change and evolution, attempt to keep this minority in the shadows, ashamed and unhappy and unaccepted?
Your children will not go to school and learn to be homosexual because gays are allowed to be married. If anything, they will learn acceptance, tolerance, and kindness toward their fellow man. Would you love your child any less if they were gay? Wouldn’t you want them to be treated equally and accepted and allowed to experience the joys and pains of marriage and having a family? Just because a homosexual person wants to enter into the union of marriage does not mean they will take that step any more lightly than a straight person. The sanctity of marriage and the meaning of the vows and the commitment still hold true. Why would anyone feel that some love deserves this right more than others? Even with Proposition 8, homosexuals still exist, they still live amongst us, we cannot hide from the truth of the world, all we have done is shown the rest of the world that there is still a lot of fear and ignorance that needs to be addressed before we can see real progress and change.