It's hard to explain the feelings that I felt when I saw that Barack Obama had 284 electoral votes. A huge smile came to my face and tears stung my eyes. To put it mildly, I was thrilled. And to have him win by such a large margin, and only an hour after results started to be reported was truly amazing. For that, I am proud to be an American for the first time in quite awhile.
Unfortunately, that elation dissolved when I heard that Prop 8 was passing by over 10%. The gap closed as the votes continued to be counted, but those who voted No were not able to completely overcome it, and in the end, Prop 8 passed. This is hard for me to discuss calmly, because it infuriates me. I honestly cannot understand it. For all of the other Props, I can understand why someone would chose differently than I did, or I can see how if someone didn't do their research, it would seem a certain way was the right way to vote. Even if that was different than how I voted. But not with Prop 8. I can see no logical reason that anyone would choose to vote Yes on Prop 8.
You cannot make it about church and religion, period. First of all, there's this phrase that might be familiar: separation of church and state. What ever happened to that? I know that many of those who voted yes did so because their bible said that homosexuality is wrong. But your bible has no place in our government, it gives you no right to deny people rights. If that were the case, my marriage should not be legal either. My husband and I are atheists, and our ceremony was nonreligious. So how can the people basing this on religion deny homosexuals but not atheists? Oh right, because were heterosexuals. What? It makes no sense. At least stay consistent in your bigotry.
I hate this talk that they have a civil union, and that should be enough. That is completely ridiculous. It's altogether different! If someone had told me that my husband and I couldn't get married, but that we could have a civil union, I would've thrown a fit. It. Is. Not. The. Same. Being married feels different to me. I know that some people say nothing changes, but for me it did. Marriage to me was obviously not about god. It was about standing in front of my friends and family and professing my unyielding and never ending love for this man. It was about making a commitment to be there for him always, it is the ultimate proclamation of love, trust, and togetherness. To deny two people in love the RIGHT to do that is completely wrong and, I'm sorry, fucking prejudice.
So what other reasons do people give for voting Yes on Prop 8? Oh yes, tradition. Seriously? To protect marriage. From what, exactly? If you want to protect marriage, ban divorce!! Divorce is the dissolution and destruction of marriage... if you really want to protect what marriage means, isn't that more logical than banning gay marriage? Marriage is about love and commitment. Two men or two women can absolutely do that, but divorce complete undoes that. Besides, how does the marital status of the two guys living on your block POSSIBLY affect you in your every day life? It doesn't. How does them being married affect your marriage? It doesn't! Yes, marriage has traditionally been between a man and a woman, but only because it's been illegal for homosexuals! Besides, if we, as a society, never made any changes and continued in ways just because it's how it's always been done, we never would have made any progress in the past and we wouldn't make any in the future. Traditionally, black people rode a different bus and drank from a different water fountain. Traditionally, women weren't allowed to vote or own land. Do these same people think that those "traditions" should have been protected and saved? Hey, traditionally our president has been white. Right?
This made me cry.
Unfortunately, that elation dissolved when I heard that Prop 8 was passing by over 10%. The gap closed as the votes continued to be counted, but those who voted No were not able to completely overcome it, and in the end, Prop 8 passed. This is hard for me to discuss calmly, because it infuriates me. I honestly cannot understand it. For all of the other Props, I can understand why someone would chose differently than I did, or I can see how if someone didn't do their research, it would seem a certain way was the right way to vote. Even if that was different than how I voted. But not with Prop 8. I can see no logical reason that anyone would choose to vote Yes on Prop 8.
You cannot make it about church and religion, period. First of all, there's this phrase that might be familiar: separation of church and state. What ever happened to that? I know that many of those who voted yes did so because their bible said that homosexuality is wrong. But your bible has no place in our government, it gives you no right to deny people rights. If that were the case, my marriage should not be legal either. My husband and I are atheists, and our ceremony was nonreligious. So how can the people basing this on religion deny homosexuals but not atheists? Oh right, because were heterosexuals. What? It makes no sense. At least stay consistent in your bigotry.
I hate this talk that they have a civil union, and that should be enough. That is completely ridiculous. It's altogether different! If someone had told me that my husband and I couldn't get married, but that we could have a civil union, I would've thrown a fit. It. Is. Not. The. Same. Being married feels different to me. I know that some people say nothing changes, but for me it did. Marriage to me was obviously not about god. It was about standing in front of my friends and family and professing my unyielding and never ending love for this man. It was about making a commitment to be there for him always, it is the ultimate proclamation of love, trust, and togetherness. To deny two people in love the RIGHT to do that is completely wrong and, I'm sorry, fucking prejudice.
So what other reasons do people give for voting Yes on Prop 8? Oh yes, tradition. Seriously? To protect marriage. From what, exactly? If you want to protect marriage, ban divorce!! Divorce is the dissolution and destruction of marriage... if you really want to protect what marriage means, isn't that more logical than banning gay marriage? Marriage is about love and commitment. Two men or two women can absolutely do that, but divorce complete undoes that. Besides, how does the marital status of the two guys living on your block POSSIBLY affect you in your every day life? It doesn't. How does them being married affect your marriage? It doesn't! Yes, marriage has traditionally been between a man and a woman, but only because it's been illegal for homosexuals! Besides, if we, as a society, never made any changes and continued in ways just because it's how it's always been done, we never would have made any progress in the past and we wouldn't make any in the future. Traditionally, black people rode a different bus and drank from a different water fountain. Traditionally, women weren't allowed to vote or own land. Do these same people think that those "traditions" should have been protected and saved? Hey, traditionally our president has been white. Right?
This made me cry.
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I actually prefer working nights, but on the weekends it kinda takes away all the crazy fun times.
I have a friend in San Diego that is looking at having to dissolve her marriage because of that bullshit. She's almost just exhausted with all the back and forth that has taken place in California. She and her wife were in San Francisco and got married up there and then remarried and then they thought it was safe to move out of San Francisco so she could take a promotion to a position in San Diego...and now this.
sucks hardcore.
get these fucking' Puritans out of my legal codes. we just need to find a fairly sizeable, comfortable, uninhabited island...fix it up so it's a good place to live....and send all th bigots there to practice their hatred on each other and leave the rest of us to progress and evolve as a society.
fuckers.