Today, amid all the celebrating over the choice of America's new president, comes news of bigotry and evil doers working in the name of God once again.
In California, Prop 8 passed, removing the recently granted right to marry from Gay folk. Again, the "Christian" "right" has defended it's marriage rights by saying we can't get married.
Several things come up for me here.
- as always, how does their telling me I can't marry the one I love defend their marriage?
- if they keep quoting traditional marriage, then why does love enter the equation at all?
- why aren't they fighting against divorce if they really want to save marriage?
- civil rights issues never come thru the voting, they always come thru the courts
- why do these nut jobs who call themselves Christian practice so much hate?
- How much good could the "Christians" in California have done with the $35million they spent on ads to protect their marriages from us "evil" Gay people?
- How is it that I keep having to defend being Christian to my Gay friends?
- at least we've already had a Gay president, so that barrier's been covered
There are at least three legal challenges to the vote yesterday that have already been filed. It's likely that the legal challenges will proceed and the vote will be thrown out. So let's keep our fingers crossed and count our blessings that we don't actually live in California.
4 Comments
This one surprised me a little. It was pretty close in the polls, but the "No on 8" side was ahead. It ain't over, of course. Lawsuits are being filed, and there can always be another ballot initiative to change it.
This one was particularly odious because it takes away a civil right. To say the arguments for it are lame is an understatement. It seems that these people who argue for "traditional" marriage have a very distorted definition of "traditional."
A tradition evolves over time – some adapt and others die off. These pro-prop-8ers have said that the "tradition" of marriage has been unchanged since the dawn of time. That only shows their ignorance. And since no one likes to be proven to be stupid, it's impossible to have a debate with them on it.
While prop 8 is bad in its own right, it wasn't the only step backwards. The worst of all of these has to be the one passed in Arkansas. This one bans unmarried couples from adopting or fostering children. The proponents of it unabashedly claim it to be an effort to keep gays and lesbians from being foster parents.
This one is quite infuriating in that children who need a home are used as weapons to push a hateful agenda. They suffer along with those who *want* to be parents.
If prop 8 was to protect marriage, then it should also ban divorce. If this Arkansas thing was to protect children, then it should require a married couple to be a foster or adoptive parent. The hypocrisy is sickening.
Is there a silver lining? In a way, perhaps. The people of Arkansas just handed the progressives in California a very useful tactic. When the issue of marriage comes up again (and it's just a matter of time), those who are against same-sex marriage can now be accurately compared to the people of Arkansas.
The other side likes to divide the country into "us" versus "them" camps. Since they obviously can't take what they dish out, then it should be interesting to see how they weasel out of being compared and combined with the backward, hateful, people of Arkansas.
well said!
Does #8 on your list count if people don't know that there's been a gay president?
Another thing about that "Christian" right–they are teaching that hate to their kids. I can't tell you how many times I have to fuss at my students for using "gay" as an insult to someone. If anyone does something they don't like, they say, "That's gay!" Then they use that old argument, "Gay means happy". Teach your children tolerance, diversity, and respect if nothing else!
(Off the soapbox now)
***reverts to 16 year old bimbo self: There's been a gay president??? ***********
You all talk about this with surprise. We are living in a nation that continues to try to revoke a woman's right to control her own body, either through abortion or birth control, and still regards Aids ( and Katrina) as God's judgement on being gay.
It took a financial tsunami to scare them enough to elect an African American man president, and if he'd been just a smidge smarter and better organized, the scary old man would have still won.
I don't mean to sound all cynical, because personally I am inspired beyond the telling of it by these election results. But really, folks, we just got one thing kinda right with this election. Baby steps, neighbors. No matter how wrong the current positions are, no matter how unjust and racist and hate based these people are, this battle was never gonna be won overnight. The positive thing to focus on is how much more national attention these problems have. More people are getting more information about these wrongs than ever before, and that education and exposure is the best path open right now to correct these wrongs.
Is it sickeningly wrong that such progress is so slow?
Without any doubt it is.
Is is still better than no progress, or dramatic regress?
You betcha!!!