Dear California:
I’m ashamed to tears to live in this state. Yesterday, 4.8 million of my neighbors voted against civil rights and equal protection. Proposition 8 was never about homosexuality, or religion, or the traditional marriage ceremony: it was about government adjudication of who can engage in domestic partnership, and the answer of the people is: “Not everyone”. The beliefs of a few about things that don’t affect them have now been turned into laws trampling on the rights of many. Congratulations, California, you just passed a miscegenation law.
To everyone who thinks this is a religious issue, to all Christians who voted yes on Proposition 8 because you interpret Leviticus 18:22 as declaring homosexuality a sin and calling you to take positive action to prevent same-sex couples from being happy in such sin, may I draw your attention to the New Testament: Luke 6:36-37, Colossians 3:13, 2 Corinthians 3:6, Galatians 5:14-15, and Galatians 3:19-28 for starters. You can think homosexuality is a sin, if you want to ignore the new covenant, follow all the laws of Leviticus, and declare putting meat and dairy on the same plate a sin as well, and miss the entire point of Christianity. But even if you do that, don’t you dare condemn other people for what you call a sin. Next time, try listening to what good old JC actually said before you try to do something in his name. Hint: it’s about forgiveness and love, not about legalism.
To all of you Yes on 8 campaigners who claimed this was about protecting the marriage of straight couples from some sort of degradation of society, or about what our children would be taught in schools, or that kids need both a mother and a father or they’ll grow up to be criminals and/or homosexuals, or especially anybody holding one of those signs that said “Prop 8 = less government”, come see me sometime, and I’ll send you to whatever hell you wish. You lied through your teeth to convince otherwise reasonable but tragically uninformed people that Prop 8 was something it wasn’t. I’ve been trying to keep my feelings today mostly in disappointment and not hate: but I really really really don’t like you.
My hopes and whatever feeble prayers I dare offer are with the ACLU, Lambda Legal, and the National Center of Lesbian Rights, who are currently challenging the constitutionality of Prop 8 in the California Supreme Court; and that the Court will do the right thing and protect the rights of all people.
I should be happy with the outcome of the Presidential election. The candidate I supported won, and I think the country sent a message that we’re not happy with the way things have gone. The power of the people is passing to a younger generation and we’re going to make some changes. I should be happy, but today I just can’t be. More than anything else, I’m shocked that this happened here. This is the West Coast, the land of hippies and greenies and crazies of all sorts. If this is what 47.9% of Californians believe, what does that say about the rest of the country? How can the same country elect Barack Obama and ban gay marriage? I just don’t understand.
All right. Back to infrequent natterings about technology.
P.S. Hey, Santa Clara county, where do you think you’re going? You come right back here. Santa Clara County, you screwed up big. 33.7% of you voted against BART. What the hell?! Who voted against BART? You’d better hope there are 5,000 more uncounted absentee votes for Measure B hiding somewhere. If B finally fails when every vote is in, I will find all of you and I will beat your ass back into the real world where we need BART in the South Bay so bad it hurts.
Full disclosure on my political & religious positions: I’m an atheist who sees a lot of value in the best teachings of Christianity and all religions; the teachings that nobody can always follow because it’s actually difficult to be a good person. I have strong respect for civil liberties and the rights of individuals. I’m a bit left on welfare issues. On the other hand, I don’t trust the free market as we know it today. I’d love to, but it proves itself time and again to be a terrible servant of the public good.
I find it unbelievable – the same people who are hollering that this will defile the sanctity of marriage are many of the same who have ALREADY (according to Christianity) defiled it through their divorce and adultery (Mark 10. You cannot pick and choose what to follow Christians, and a New Testament rule (GIVEN BY JESUS) outweighs a Levitical law HANDS DOWN. If you cannot follow the teachings of Jesus, you hypocrite, how dare you disallow someone who may not even believe his teachings are worthy of their consideration to get married. If your only support resides in the Bible go home – you must never support something based solely upon the Bible in American politics. Ever.
So, while we’re at it, fellow Christians (cause, sadly, I have to associate myself with you), let us also pass a ban on divorce. Let us, as Joe sad, enforce our dietary laws and stoning of our children. Let us proceed to gouge out our eyes and cut off our limbs if they so cause us to sin. Oh what? You don’t want to do that? That’s infringing on your rights and against the law? Oh really? Well you just did that here though, didn’t you?
You are a shallow, petty, homophobic group who do not understand your own religion and have latched onto something so far corrupt that it defies logic. You enjoy your tax exempt status while it lasts, cause the same courts that you just fought are going to destroy you in the coming months/years. If you’ve ever used the pulpit to push a candidate, ever used the pulpit to push your hate, welcome to your just retribution.
Keep our religion out of their politics.
Follow the money.
Without legalized same-sex marriage, many companies stand to save lots of money by treating their gay employees as single. No need for benefits to cover a spouse.
Well said, sir.
wouldn’t the state stand to make a good amount of money off wedding ceremonies for same sex couples as well? the marriage industry in california alone rakes in around 4 billion dollars a year
Yay Joe and Ryan.
Well said indeed.
That being said, remind me not to read your posts during classtime. (@the comment on BART) I almost laughed out loud. In the third row no less. Man… BART needs an overhaul in general. It’s getting super ghetto. D:
But hey. When we get a high speed rail…
:D
@Rego: Quite possibly. I saw that exact argument a handful of times, that passing 8 would cost the state money in sales tax. On the other hand, I’m pretty sure I don’t want the state to determine legality by profit.
Remember all that flak about red light cameras here in San Diego a couple of years back? The private company that operated the cameras charged the city a fee for each picture they took & ticket they wrote (regardless of guilt or innocence). So they started shaving the time off so people were getting tickets for legally running yellows. Blatant profiteering. The city turned off all the cameras, and I really hope they’re pursuing legal action. Anyway I don’t like what that company did, which is effectively playing with legality to maximize profit, and I sure don’t want the state doing it either.
don’t think money was really an issue.. This was a heart-felt knee jerk (albeit deeply ignorant) response.
A lot of companies were (and still are) supporting Domestic Partnerships (some support both opposite-sex and same-sex DPs) so medical coverage isn’t really an issue. And many of the Silicon Valley firms, newspapers, etc (even newspapers in the inland counties) urged against Prop 8. But medical coverage from your company isn’t the same thing as all the rights and benefits and feelings that society confers upon “married people”.
This election was more about what it _means_ to be married than it was about money.
The church in my neighborhood had “Yes” signs plastered all over their parking lot and down to the street. I’ve never really thought about them before now unless they’re causing traffic snarls. They’re a church; I’m not religious. But I’m generally tolerant of other points of view.
But now, every time I drive past, I feel like Joe. “I’ve been trying to keep my feelings today mostly in disappointment and not hate: but I really really really don’t like you.”