As Americans, we pride ourselves in being a country that is diverse. A country that welcomes everyone with open arms. Unfortunately, many cultures, let alone genders have had to struggle to gain respect and their rights along the way.
When you see a country on the verge of electing its first African American President or if an upset is made, female Vice-President, you think we have come a long way. Somehow, it just does not feel like it and this time, it hits where I live.
Here in California, we have a Proposition called Prop 8. Prop 8 is an initiative that would eliminate the right for Same-Sex couples to marry. Many conservatives and religious zealots fear gay marriage because of what it could mean for society and their children who may have to learn about this in school. Many of those who are for this proposition feel they have progressed by “allowing” civil unions and feel that is enough. How very Christian of them.
The ads for why people are against it are quite hysterical:
First of all, what school even teaches this or has children books on marriage? Are their children’s books on why Mommy is an angry monster for one week every month? So let’s say a child does bring a book home, what is the difference in teaching this and letting them know where babies come from? You have to tell them the truth right?
When people get married, most do so for love, commitment, keeping immigrants in the country and bets. Ok, maybe not the latter. But basically it is a legal and registered relationship between a “husband and wife.” Married couples even have the benefit to file taxes jointly and raise their own children together.
Now Civil Unions are only recognized in a handful of states including California. If you think about it, C.U. has many of the same rights as married couples. Partners have federal benefits, such as if a partner dies assuming his or hers Social Security Benefits, sick leave for if your partner becomes ill, tax breaks, veterans benefits and insurance breaks.
So it seems the main difference here between marriage and a civil union is that two gay/lesbian couples cannot make a child together. Besides when they show their affection towards one another in public it’s icky.
I guess having a loving Gay/Lesbian couple adopting or having a child is way worse than a woman having her 8th child for extra welfare payments, an athlete having 15 illegitimate children nationwide or teenagers having unprotected sex and becoming parents. Well if your Mom is Governor of Alaska, you may have some cash coming in.
Once again, progress has stopped in its tracks. As a nation we have a chance to do something special, yet there are those out there who are scared beyond belief of 8 year old Timmy learning about homosexuals. This is much worse than hearing about murders on television or hearing about the War in Iraq.
Run away Timmy, the homosexuals are coming!!!
Seriously, wouldn’t monsters be more friendly if they all sounded and looked like Paul Lynde?
There are more important things to worry about people.
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6 comments:
You know as much as I disagree with everything you say I still have to give you props for making me laugh along the way.
But let's open this can of worms since there is absolutely no way it will ever be opened in a political forum. Although I am not a religious zealot I guess I would fall under your "conservative" label. As an fyi there are a couple of reasons why people would vote Yes on Prop 8.
1. Whether you are religious or not no one likes to have something stuffed down their throats or flaunted in front of their face that they clearly do not agree with or believe in.
2. Having Gay Marriage legalized creates a slippery slope that will result in a slew of consequences for Churches, Synagogues or other religious organizations. A Pastor or Priest could be sued or even jailed for refusing to marry a gay couple (it's already happened in other states). A preacher would not be allowed to teach from the bible that homosexually is a sin because it would be considered hate speech. Churches could also be fined or lose their 501C3 status if they don't conform.
3. The problem with government run schools is that they would be required to teach gay marriage and homosexuality along with all other sex education. In Missouri a school sent a 6 year old home with a 'diversity' packet which included a book on gay marriage. When the parents went to meet with the school and asked that they be given prior notification when they planned to teach about gay marriage they were told the school didn't have to because it was considered unconstitutional. When the father said he wasn't leaving until they could reach a compromise he was arrested and placed in jail. Parents are fearful that their parental rights are continually being undermined and stripped away by legislation. Although your response may be "Well then place them in private school or home school them" I must remind you not all families can afford this luxury.
4. And finally the most taboo piece that will never be addressed openly on the congressional floor…the Bible teaches that homosexuality is a Sin. If you are a Christian and not reading from the perforated Bible then you most likely believe this. No matter how much you try and convince Christians that gay marriage should be legalized you’ll always come up against the fact that they believe it’s wrong. So how can you blame someone for voting their beliefs? How can you ask us to go along with something that we know is wrong?
SO for all this talk of tolerance and diversity that you love to flaunt why not show a little for us. I don’t force my beliefs on you so why are you forcing yours on me? Why must I recognize and be happy about something that I feel will bring down society?
Does this make me a hater of all gay people? NO! I have worked with, befriended and loved many homosexuals. But then again I also have worked with, befriended and loved liars, adulterers, cheaters, gossipers, and probably a whole list of other sinners. Sin is sin and I am just as much a sinner as the gay man sitting next to me. The difference is I know that I am a sinner and I believe in a Savior who forgives and have accepted that forgiveness.
So although I may get a little egg in my hair for posting this I felt it’s time to speak. It’s time I stop fretting about what people may think of me and claim my beliefs.
That is awesome Kate that you decided to comment and inspire your copy and paste on Facebook. But I will go through each and everyone of your points.
1. Totally agree. That is where I stop.
2. The slope it creates is really up to the church and not the government. People should be able to marry who they want and where they want. If these organizations are against it, then they should be sued just like they would at my workplace, your workplace, the fire department or the White House.
3. I see no problems teaching about this because it will happen eventually. Maybe tomorrow or maybe 50 years from now. The bottom line is kids are learning about much worse things in the world. Gay Marriage is about one thing, love for one another. If it is so wrong, then why did God create it? Or is it something the Devil did?
4. The bible is about love, harmony, life lessons, history and not judging others. Isn't that complete hypocrisy on voting yes on Prop 8? Who are Jews, Christians, and Atheists to say its wrong? No religious belief is better than the other.
To your other points, I am not forcing anything on you. It is my blog and it is how I see things.
Not to long ago, blacks and whites could not marry and it was considered taboo. How is this any different? Look at how many different races are married to one another live in harmony today.
And when you say why not show a little love for tolerance and diversity for Christians, well it depends what Christian you are talking about. You have Christians who are more than supportive of issues like these and are conservative and voting for McCain. That is 100 percent fine by me. On the other hand, you have Christians who believe if it said in the bible nobody should own a boat because it’s a sin, would not own a boat. Right now, the only thing I see is what your view of what the bible says and nothing else. That is not diverse. As far as tolerance, I would also need to see what you are being tolerant against? It goes a lot more than working with and “befriending” a gay person.
I would celebrate your view whole heartedly but in my eyes, the view you represent is no different than some of the racists 50 years ago. Am I saying you are racist? Not at all. But the view you represent is everything against what the bible teaches.
I hear that the anti-Gay Marriage movement for this is heavily funded by the Mormon Church and other major donors in Utah. Since when did Californians ever let any state dictate how they vote?
Also, when are these Christian conservatives going to wake up and realize that the largest threat to marriage is divorce, not gay people?
I always find it odd when conservatives claim they detest "big" government, but don't mind being big brother.
Just come out of the closet already: you guys like telling other people what to do, who they can marry, listening in on citizen's phone calls without a warrant, and if we ever disagree with any of you even in the slightest, we're a bunch of anti-American communists.
No more. Not this year. I'm done taking the abuse of these people who whine that their beliefs are infringed upon when they've spent the last shoving so-called values of bigotry and hate down our throats for decades now. I've had with this garbage.
If you don't like gay marriage, then don't marry a gay person. If you don't like abortion, don't get one.
I believe in personal responsiblity and choice- something you guys always talk about, but never seem to practice what you preach.
Kate,
I've been with the same partner for 9 years and I'm 30. I can't name a single heterosexual couple that has been together since they were 21.
1. Of course nobody likes something stuffed down their throats. If they do, they should keep that in their bedroom or at the least with the blinds drawn.
On a serious note. This law is attacking me personally. It is being stuffed down our throats. If you're not gay, gay marriage has nothing to do with you. Flaunt it in front of your face. I'm sorry but breeder couples disgust me. Besides, I have to pay taxes to pay for their children to go to public school. Conservative Christians flaunt their religous everyday. I don't create laws banning children and strange religions. It's your right as an American to believe in God, Jesus, Mohammed, Santa Claus or Harvey the Invisible Bunny.
2. A slippery slope to where? Great Flower Arrangements and Coordinating patterns? Sued or jailed for refusing to marry a gay couple? Come off it. Currently, only Catholics or those profess to raise their children Catholic can get married in a Catholic church. There hasn't been one lawsuit of a Protestant suing the Catholic Church. Churches already spew venom and hate and they haven't lost their tax exempt status.
3) Schools. Another common tactic of those on the hating right. I was in California last week and was appalled by the radio commercials. I've been to tons of schools both in the United States and in Canada and I have never had any lesson on marriage or divorce. This includes Catholic schools. Besides gay people exist. It's a fact, you breeders keep creating more of us by the minute. Keep at it, we need your children to fight injustice in the future.
We're in society so ignoring us in schools will not make us go away. Just like ignoring black people by fighting African History Month and the MLK Jr Holiday didn't make Black people go away or stay in the back of the bus. In fact, one will be in the White House soon!
4. Yes, the Bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin. The old testament is filled with all sorts of strange things. Men shouldn't shave. People shouldn't eat pork. or to work on the sabbath. Do we prevent unbearded pork rind eating gents who put some time in at the office on Saturdays from getting married. Because if we did, George W. would be a single man with some bastard children. What exactly did Jesus say about homosexuals?
Kate, guess what? Gays were around before the bible, before Jesus, before Moses and Abraham. Their were entire Homosexual societies with our own fierce armies. In fact, philosophy, medicine, the arts and the renaisance would not have taken place without the poof. It was we, the homosexual, who shepherded knowledge through the dark ages when the Catholic Church condemned knowledge.
You have every right to vote your belief. It is your vote, but remember my right to marry the one I love has nothing to do with you, your church or your children. I don't carry if you understand and I don't want to be tolerated. I want to be left alone and to live the American dream just like the other 300 million people.
Some day we shall overcome and we'll laugh at people like you just like we do when we hear that people thought the earth was flat, that people had slaves or that women were prevented from voting. We'll all ask ourselves, were there really people like that.
People can have all sorts of different beliefs, that is what makes our country great. We do not all have to have the same opinions and that is okay.
That does not mean that I do not take issue with many (hec, all) of the things stated in the previous post. The biggest being the comparison of being gay to "liars, adulterers, cheaters, gossipers". I suppose that this (among many other reasons)is why I'm not very religious. Call me nutty, but I really see absolutely no comparison. If there is a God and he would put being gay in the same league as murderers,liars and cheaters then he is not a God I would believe in. And I would hope that any one who professes to preach peace and love would agree.
Gay people deserve the same rights and equality as everyone else, plain and simple. Vote no on Prop. 8.
Oh and by the way, you may want to give this a read too:
Prop. 8 Fact vs. Fiction
Fiction: Prop 8 doesn’t discriminate against gay people.
Fact: Prop 8 is simple: it eliminates the rights for same-sex couples to marry. Prop 8 would deny equal protections and write discrimination against one group of people—lesbian and gay people—into our state constitution.
Fiction: Teaching children about same-sex marriage will happen here unless we pass Prop 8.
Fact: Not one word in Prop 8 mentions education. And no child can be forced, against the will of their parents, to be taught anything about health and family issues at school. California law prohibits it.
California’s top educators including Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell and California Teachers all agree: Prop 8 has nothing to do with education.
Fiction: Churches could lose their tax-exemption status.
Fact: The court decision regarding marriage specifically says “no religion will be required to change its religious policies or practices with regard to same-sex couples, and no religious officiant will be required to solemnize a marriage in contravention of his or her religious beliefs.”
Fiction: A Massachusetts case about a parent’s objection to the school curriculum will happen here.
Fact: California gives parents an absolute right to remove their kids and opt-out of teaching on health and family instruction they don’t agree with. The opponents know that California law already covers this and Prop 8 won’t affect it, so they bring up an irrelevant case in Massachusetts.
Fiction: Four Activist Judges in San Francisco…
Fact: Prop 8 is about eliminating a fundamental right. Judges didn’t grant the right, the constitution guarantees the right. Proponents of Prop 8 use an outdated and stale argument that judges aren’t supposed to protect rights and freedoms. Prop 8 is about whether Californians are willing to amend the constitution for the sole purpose of eliminating a fundamental right for one group of citizens.
Fiction: If Prop 8 isn’t passed, people can be sued over personal beliefs.
Fact: California’s laws already prohibit discrimination against anyone based on race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. This has nothing to do with marriage.
Fiction: Pepperdine University supports the Yes on 8 campaign.
Fact: The University has publicly disassociated itself from Professor Richard Peterson of Pepperdine University, who is featured in the ad, and has asked to not be identified in the Yes on 8 advertisements.
Fiction: Unless Prop 8 passes, California parents won’t have the right to object to what their children are taught in school.
Fact: California law clearly gives parents and guardians broad authority to remove their children from any health instruction if it conflicts with their religious beliefs or moral convictions.
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