California's Proposition 8

ELIMINATES RIGHT OF SAME-SEX COUPLES TO MARRY. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Changes the California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California. Provides that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Fiscal Impact: Over next few years, potential revenue loss, mainly sales taxes, totaling in the several tens of millions of dollars, to state and local governments. In the long run, likely little fiscal impact on state and local governments.

I grew up with a particular fella back in Indiana who is gay. David (the aforementioned) and I were fortunate to live in a pretty progressive environment. Bloomington, our home town, is home to Indiana University and an accepting culture for people who aren't necessarily straight, Christian & white. Dave was well liked and accepted by the vast majority of kids at our high school and few people thought much, or opined, about the fact that he was gay (I'm not sure if Dave was "out of the closet" or not in high school, but it was reasonably apparent that he was, in fact, into dudes).

Dave lives in California now & is married - to another man. When I heard this I wasn't surprised, nor was I concerned. I was actually happy that he had found happiness with someone.

Oh, and they have a son.

OK? OK.

Well, there are still quite a few people out there who are ~uncomfortable~ with this arrangement. Their usual claim revolves around either Jesus or "our children".

A few of these uncomfortable sorts came up with the above initiative, known as Proposition 8 in California. Some of the "uncomfortables" who support it include 20 politicians (all Republican, of course), the Catholics, the Orthodox Jews, the Mormons, a variety of groups with "family" in their title" and, of course, John McCain.

Opponents include Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a plethora of politicians both Democratic and Republican, all of the major newspapers in California, the League of Women Voters, the Episcopal Church, Google (!), a variety of Jewish groups, and our own Barack Obama.

Allow me to opine on behalf of the Spooner Street Times.

Bigots are generally not wont to openly admit that their beliefs are, in fact, bigoted and hate-filled. Exceptions are made for organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan that, although not with fit with the stones to show their faces, seem to not have a problem admitting that they hate people who aren't like them. Bigots generally hide behind religion and/or my children in order to purvey their hate to the world. The lead line on protectmarriage.com, the primary collection of endorsers of the proposition, is "Restoring Marriage & Protecting California Children".

Really?

Protecting California's children from what exactly? Catching "the gay"? From seeing for themselves that there are people in the world who see things differently from them or, more specifically, from their parents? From seeing that people can love one another regardless of their genitalia? From the "unholy" things that occur in the "gay" bedroom?

Well, guess what Junior...I've got ten bucks that says daddy wants anal from mommy, or more likely wants anal from mommy's friend Jenny. There's even a reasonable probability that the daddy who's big into anti-gay propositions like this one wants anal from daddy's friend Jimmy, too.

People are flawed regardless of what they like to do in the bedroom. Singling out a group of people as unworthy of certain rights because of their preferences in the bedroom is senseless and amounts to nothing more than hate thinly veiled as "protecting our kids" from the evil gays. Homosexual people are just as likely (or more so) to be good parents as heterosexual people. Homosexual parents know the pain of bigotry and hate and are more likely to raise children who are tolerant and understanding of all people regardless of their personal beliefs or classification in specific demographics.

Oh, and Jesus? Jesus wasn't a hater. The people who wrote his words some 400 years after his death may have been haters, but I'm pretty confident that Jesus of Nazareth didn't take exception to certain people because of their ~preferences~ regarding who specifically they liked to cuddle with. Hiding one's own hate behind Jesus, or anyone else for that matter, is pretty lame.

Srsly.

No on 8.