California's Proposition 8
Friday September 19, 2008
A battle is brewing in California. It's only been a few months since gays and lesbians have been able to marry in that state and that right is being threatened. Proposition 8 is a measure on the California ballot that would change the state's constitution to allow only marriage between one man and one woman.
What can you do to prevent Prop 8 from becoming law? Julie Phineas and her Lesbian Mommy blog has a whole list of ideas, whether you live in California or not.
Or visit the No on Prop 8 webiste.
© Lynne Lancaster
Comments
Thank Kathy! I am very passionate about the No on Prop 8 campaign, and I hope that others around the world can join in this historic effort towards Equality for All!
First of all, no group, however large, should be able to vote on taking away the rights of another group, no matter how small.
Secondly, what defines a man or a woman? If it’s DNA then those women with AIS would be considered men even though they were identified as female at birth.
The ignorant people heading up these so called “family values” groups need to get an education. Each one of us comes from a family, most likely with straight parents, just like them. Do these hate groups think it’s okay to discriminate against the children of these parents? Parents that are just like them?
Discrimination is discrimination. Period. Just because it’s socially acceptable to discriminate doesn’t make it right. Almost all discrimination is based in ignorance. Do any of these people take the time to get to know any of the people who’s human rights they want to take away?
Maybe they should take a page from Christ’s life and learn acceptance before they go off on their hate campaigns.
Well, Perhaps if we allowed all these ‘rule makers’ to see that they are in violation of the constitution by NOT keeping church and state seperate in their reasoning why I can not legally have a spouse, things would change. I challange them to come up with any other reason other than “it’s not the way God intended.” I am who I am by design, not by choice. I am devinely entitled to the same rights as the heterosexual and the white male…The white men in charge once viewed Martin Luther King as the Anti-Christ. We are on the brink of 2009. Has anyone else noticed that we need a change??? and a Huge one…and FAST???? Until we as a collective society realize we are all ONE, we will continue to keep elevating the WHITE MALE and that ego based reasoning to allow the teaching that we are NOT entitled even though the law states we are…I love God/The Goddess/The Universe/The ALL, what ever YOU call it is truly ok by me. I can say with complete confidence that I am smiled on by my God…I am loved and I am honored. It matters NOT who I allow to fill my heart. These decisions are nothing but fear based…and completely therapy worthy too lol….
United we stand…
We’ve had enough….
Let’s roll….
This really makes me sick. Don’t we as a nation have more important things to worry about than gay marriage? Like the amazing infant mortality rate, renewable energy, or the current war?
When the rights of one group are arbitrarily withheld, it leaves open the possibility for the rights of ALL to become abridged. THAT is why this is important.
Yes this issue is very important but why are people not focused on our ecomomy right now and for our future. It is crashing all around us and politial and religous groups are focusing on sexuality in stead of prosperity. They would rather have a poor broke nation and nobody but themselves to have rights. Make no sence to me. We have high unemployment, high debt, a war that is going on in another contry, homeless, and hungry people. Gas prices that are way too much. And they want to focus on takeing our rigts away to marry.
It figures, whenever anything comes close to legitimizing the glbt community something or someone has to attempt to squash it…we live in a nation of fearful people.
Gays are trying to get their sick habits legitimized while everyone is focused on the war and economy, they are in essence making a back door entry!!!! LOL!!
Hey you wanna have sex with your gay lover, go ahead. You wanna have sex with your mother, father, or fido go ahead. Just don’t tell me it is NOT sick and wrong. You all are trying to legitimize someithing that should be kept in the closet.
Prop 8 is important to protect marriage between a man and a woman. It si not to discriminate or take away peoples right to choose. A major misconception abou this bill is that it takes away from people rights when in fact it protects our right to disagree. Vote yes on prop 8
I am concerned about an issue. When Mass and Calif passed these laws allowing gay marriage, now they want to take it away. What happens to the people that got married? Are their marriages then overturned, illegal, or non-existant? I think that would be a concern to the married couples. Or will their marriages be allowed to remain just all others intercepted?
Mason you are wrong, the wording of the propositon clearly says it would ELIMINATE THE RIGHTS OF SAME SEX COUPLES.
before you try to override the new law take at look at the rates of divorces and homocide muders among the hetro’s do you ever read in the paper or hear on the news that les or gay couple has murdered their lover? no you don’t. i thought we lived in a free country. instead of trying to over turn the law why don’t we try to help the poor get our econ straighted out. why should you care who’s marrying who seriously who’s business is it? it now almost 2009 IT TIME TO GROW UP PEOPLE
Please direct your Mormon friends/family to -
lds4gaymarriage.org
We show in a very systematic and logical way that the Church’s involvement in Prop. 8 is contrary to OFFICIAL LDS Doctrine.
What truly gets me here is that the Mormon Church along with many other religious individuals and institutions puts forth millions and millions of dollars for lies and smears in television ads instead of spending that money for things that are important like feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, helping those less fortunate in so many others ways, etc.
How can they live with themselves in how they spend their money to do nothing more that destroy the lives of 2 people who love each other and want nothing more than to live their lives and take care of each other as they see fit.
When will it end? When will equality come and hatred/bigotry go?
We will always be the minority there for the “squashing” by the majority that dictates what we can and can’t do. What ever happened to the home of the Free America? The right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness?
This whole Prop 8 saddens me beyond belief because there is just so much energy being spent negatively instead of for the good.
Shame on the religious institutions for not truly helping their fellow wo/men.
Keep a smile on your face and love in your heart!
Proposition 8 is a win-win situation for GLBT activists. If it fails – hurray! Another state down, 47 to go. If it passes – the Religious Right’s homophobic campaign will have knocked down an epic hornet’s nest. In one day, they’ll create thousands of brand new gay activists. GLBT people who have never donated a dime or a day to GLBT activist groups (like www.soulforce.org) will for the first time in their lives realize the importance of getting actively involved, because they’ll have just had their own marriage license TAKEN from them. But they won’t be the only newbies to join our fight. People all over this country will witness for the first time in American history, a minority group have one of their RIGHTS taken away with legislation. Ha! It was one thing to change state constitutions to prevent gay people from getting equal rights, but taking away our rights is a whole different ballgame, folks. Americans all over this country will be outraged, gays and straights alike. Activist organizations will be louder and angrier than they’ve been since the AIDS crisis. Oh, but there are few key differences between today and the 80’s. We have more money, we’re better organized, we have PLENTY of political clout, and we’re not dying. Passing Proposition 8 will create a perfect storm, and Hollywood will be all over it. (What a bonus that it’s happening Hollywood’s home state. Haha) As a gay activist, I’m very excited about Proposition 8. In fact, I sorta hope it passes.
1. There is no “right” to marry. It’s important to understand this. Thousands of years before marriage was a legal contract, it was a spiritual institution, then a social one. The legal definition of marriage was in comparison created only recently to affirm the universal understanding that marriage is between a man and a woman. To change that definition now is to invalidate the meaning of the word “marriage.” I become greatly offended when I am pigeonholed as a “bigot” or a “hater” because I believe this. My friends tell me I am a loving, kind, wise, intelligent, and tender-hearted person. It is easy to demonize your “enemy” so that you do not have to engage in dialogue.
2. The “right” for same-sex couples to “marry” was NOT passed as a law in California. In 2000, when the majority of Californians voted to retain the traditional definition of legal marriage, 61% of the voters were slapped in the face by a mere handful of judges on the California Supreme Court who wanted to change the law they way they wanted it instead of the way the majority voted in CA. Now again, in 2008, when the MAJORITY of the voters in California voted to stop this madness and vote in a constitutional amendment so that judges could not do this again, there is a BIG rush to invalidate the political process by filing lawsuits to go back to the judges (or by any means possible, including violence).
3. The glory of the political process here in the US is that each person can vote for the candidates and issues presented to them. One person, one vote, and the majority wins. There have been times I have been very unhappy with the results of an election. I just whined a day or two, felt sorry for myself, licked my wounds, then went about my business. These attempts to invalidate the political process by invalidating Prop. 8 can ONLY lead us to totalitarian rule in the very near future. A lot more “rights” will be restricted than the “right” to marry - I’m telling you right now so you know what’s at stake if you wish to subvert the political process by doing away with Prop. 8.
4. I would like to create some dialogue rather than hurl invectives. I understand that there is a complaint about the “domestic partner” legal union due to the lack of certain rights in that arrangement that do not exist in the legal definition of marriage. Well, let’s get that changed right away, so that there is parity. Personally, I don’t think “domestic partner” is sexy enough of a name. I will leave it to the members of the affected communities to come up with a name for their unions that is compelling. You just can’t have “marriage.” That’s been taken already.