The Election and Doing the Right Thing....

My home is about just under 10 miles from my office. On my way home tonight I didn't pass a single intersection without at least a few people jumping around with campaign signs of every type and description. President, city council, mayor, you name it, they were there.

The one campaign that has me flummoxed is the one for Proposition 8 - the ban on gay marriage. Proponents of this proposition say that allowing gays to marry will lead to everything from the corruption of our youth to all out higgledy-pigglety.

As a happily straight (albeit perpetually single) woman, I cannot see how two people wishing to make a loving life-long commitment to each other threatens the sanctity of anyone else's marriage. Personally, I think the celeb magazines that glorify the 20-minute Vegas marriage of the latest underage starlet is a much bigger threat. I find celebrating the disposability of what is intended to be the promise of a life-long partnership to be far more threatening.

But nonetheless, the idea of two people of the same sex getting hitched is enough to freak out a portion of our populace. They are so concerned that they are spending truckloads of money to prevent that from happening. To me, this is a heck of a lot of money and time spent snooping in other people's business.

But Kim, you may say, "The people voted for this, and the liberal judges overturned the will of the people." Yes, people did vote for this. People in the past have also voted to keep schools segregated and to keep women from voting. Just because people come up with an idea and vote for it doesn't always make it right. The Constitution is still what we live by, The judges ruled that giving a right to one person and not to another is discrimination, and that (not some nefarious intent to turn us all into hippies) is the reason why the original rule was struck down.

But Kim, "Letting gays marry threatens my marriage." How? I swear to you, if this proposition fails, Rip Taylor will not be showing up at your front door to shred your marriage licence. You will not be forced into a divorce and subsequent marriage to a guy in a tutu.

But Kim, "We are a Christian nation and the bible says that homosexuality is wrong." I am not a theologian, and don't have enough information to refute that. However, the last time I checked, our country allows us to believe what we want. Gays are not asking you to change your beliefs, nor are the they are requiring you to attend their weddings. You don't even have to like the idea of gays marrying, They just don't want you to block them from holding their own beliefs.

But Kim, "Allowing gays to marry sends a bad message to kids...as though being gay is ok." I swear to you, homosexuality is not an infectious disease. (And I personally believe it IS ok to be gay, but that's my opinion) I have had gay friends all my life, and not one of them has been able to convince me that being married to a woman would be better than being married to a man. Do you think you at any time in your life could have been "converted" to homosexuality? I didn't think so.

But Kim, "I don't want my kids being taught in school about homosexuality." Ask any of my friends who are teachers. Between the standards they must teach, and the challenges their students must overcome, there is absolutely no time to squeeze in "Homo 101" between a spelling test and recess. The only time that it might become an issue is when kids get older and are covering the birds and bees section. This is a VOLUNTARY lesson that you as a parent have the right and responsibility to review. If it covers topics that you feel are inappropriate, you have every opportunity to opt out.

However, let's say your 3rd grader comes home and tells you that his best friend has two daddies, or that he found a book in the library about gay people. What on earth is wrong for using this as a teaching moment? Sitting a kid down and explaining your side, and why you feel that what they believe is wrong is a great opportunity for a kid to hone his/her critical thinking skills.

But Kim, "Churches will be forced to marry gay couples, and that goes against THEIR religious beliefs." Patently wrong. Churches have always, and will always have a say over who they will and will not marry. Heck, I don't think my own Catholic Church would marry ME since I was never confirmed, yet still go to mass on occasion.

It basically comes down to this. No one is forcing you to approve of, or support gay marriage. They are simply asking for the right to live their lives the way they see fit. To block them from doing so is un-American and very wrong.

Good night all...I hope we ultimately decide to do the right thing. :)

K