Proposition 8

What a week it's been. The lead up to the election was a long and difficult one. I applaud everyone who got out the vote, volunteered for Obama and the No on 8 campaign. Through major effort on everyone's part we now have a President we can believe in. I can't recall the last time I wrote that word using a capital letter. I saw someone outside the White House with a sign that read "Why wait? Evict him now!" and I couldn't agree more.

As President-Elect Obama said, the road will be a long and difficult one. And we see that with the passing of California's Proposition 8 -- a ban on gay marriage. If enforced, this will actually put discrimination into the state constitution. This will be the first time in history where rights were taken away from a set of the population. Is that ok with everyone?

No, it's not.

I don't know how many times we have to fucking tell the world but "Gay people don't want special rights, we want equal rights". We have long been accused of having a gay 'agenda'. I've laughed at that most of my adult life. Agenda? Do we have an agenda? I realized this week. We do. We do have an agenda, a gay agenda.

Equal rights, equal protection under the Constitution. Whether that be the California Constitution or the Constitution of the United States. Why don't people see that basic truth?

Fear. The religious right and the ignorant masses are afraid of gay marriage, saying it will destroy the family, invalidate heterosexual marriages. Um.. straight folks are doing a damn good job at fucking up their own marriages, long long before gay people started pushing for gay marriage. The divorce rate started to climb 25 years ago. Tear apart the family? Yes, it has. How many people out there are from what the term is called "broken families"?

And how in the world can two people who love each other, who have been together through thick and thin, who have worked out their small jealousies, who have learned to get over their partners idiosyncrasies, to come out on the other side.. willing to stand up in front of a group of their loved ones say "Til death do us part", how can that hurt hetero marriages?

IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HETEROSEXUAL MARRIAGES.

It's not about str8 people's marriages. Let me repeat that. Gay people getting married has nothing to do with a heterosexual couple's marriage. It's about that gay couple loving each other, showing the world they love each other, being validated for their love. Straight people who think this has something to do with them bewilder me.

What floors me is that the Church of LDS was one of the biggest contributors to the Yes on 8 campaign. Based in UT, they flooded our state with millions to push this thing onto the ballot. And their ads were despicable. But, apparently effective. Saying that gay marriage will be taught in our schools, and that homosexuality will be encouraged. Give me a fucking break. Do schools teach about marriage now? Do schools teach about heterosexuality? No. This had nothing .. nothing - to do with schools and children, however all you have to say to strike fear into the hearts of every ignorant person out there "gay people will harm your children" or a personal favorite "we don't want gay people adopting because they'll turn the kid gay". How ridiculous is that? As so many progressive radio talk show hosts have mentioned. All you have to do is say "gays, guns, and god" to push the fear factor.

I am encouraged that the Ca Supreme Court has already knocked down one attempt at a ban as being unconstitutional. And right now there are at least 3 legal challenges to Prop 8. I am hopeful, and will keep my fingers crossed for their efforts.

The fight is long from over.