I am a little upset tonight.
Proposition 8 has been on my mind a lot lately. The polls are showing it's neck and neck between the supporters and opposition. I really don't know how things will turn out on Tuesday.
Over the years, I've been fired up about many elections. Passionately so. But never before have I felt so personal, so threatened, by an election as this one. It's one thing to have an anti same-sex marriage amendment passed in a state where you don't have the right to begin with. It's something completely different to have an established right stripped away from you. And that's exactly what will happen if Prop 8 passes. If, God forbid, this horrible amendment passes, I will feel like the state of California shit on me.
On my way home tonight, I had the misfortune of driving through a Yes on 8 demonstration at Webster and Atlantic. It wasn't that big. Maybe 30-40 people tops. But, as I drove by the demonstrators, I couldn't help but feel an incredible rage. These people were actively demonstrating to take rights away from ME. It's personal. This isn't some bond or school board issue. It's personal. It's discrimination against me. I wanted to take my car and plow right into the crowd. But, I settled for flipping them the bird as I drove by.
I couldn't help but notice that most of the people demonstrating were people who should be the most sensitive about matters of civil rights: people of color. Latinos, Asians, and African-Americans. But, apparently, they don't feel the same rights and protections they enjoy as Americans should apply to me.
Imagine how any one of them would have felt if the states banded together and passed a constitutional amendment allowing segregation after Brown vs Topeka Board of Education. Or a constitutional amendment which barred mixed-race marriages. It could have happened. It wasn't that long ago that many Americans felt separation of the races was "God's will." Hell, I had relatives who would quote scripture to justify their segregationst views.
Now these same people who benefit from the decisions of "activist" judges are completely comfortable with the idea of taking away my civil rights. It doesn't seem quite fair does it?
Snarky opinions and lustful thoughts of an unashamedly liberal, gay, Bay Area Daddy Bear. If my commentary unwittingly offends, tough shit.
1 comments:
thank you for your post - I feel exactly the same way. It's really isolating down here behind the Orange Curtain - although there are some No people. I asked a woman I was stopped at a red light today how she could vote Yes on 8 (she had a sticker on her car)...she couldn't do more than look nervous and say 'I'm for protecting traditional marriage - you should read the constitution.'
I'm with you - so many are being brainwashed or are just as happy not even having to think. If this passes CA will be known as the most hateful, religiously-influenced state.
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