Driving to class, I see them everywhere. "Yes on 8!" Screams sign after endless sign, each featuring a blue male and female stick-figure surrounded by smaller stick-figures. "Protect Marriage!" Church groups scream at me as I drive by them as they protest on street corners. And every time I hear their voices and see the hateful signs, I die a little inside. When they first started to appear I would just become angry.I'd pull over on the side of the road and grimly pluck the signs out of the ground, tear them up, and throw them away. But the next day there would be five more on the same stretch of road, then ten, then twenty. These days I just feel cold. What happened to my liberal, accepting Sonoma County? What happened to going weeks without seeing a single McCain sticker, to seeing gay couples openly walking hand-in-hand down the street, unafraid because they know they can be safe here?
The fact of the matter is that voting for Prop 8 should be a hate crime. Let me say that again: VOTING YES ON PROP 8 IS A HATE CRIME. There is absolutely NO reason to vote for it unless you are just being a discriminatory, hateful, being who can't stand to have a little more love in the world. Stop listening to your Church pastor and start paying attention to people's rights. This is a matter of equal rights for all. Wake up, California, its not 1950 anymore. Times are changing, and the age of oppression is over.
This country was founded on the ideals of freedom, and that includes freedom from discrimination, freedom from homophobia. A loving family consists of a group of people that care about each other, regardless of race, gender, religion, age, or sexual orientation. You want to protect family? You want to protect marriage? Then protect this.
And you know what? I will continue ripping down these signs whenever I see them. As far as I see it, I'm just cleaning up some rather atrocious litter. The signs for this Prop are offensive, and I see it as my duty to tear them down. I would feel the same if my neighbor posted a yard sign that said "The South Will Rise Again", or "Long Live Nazi Germany". I don't see these as being any different.
5 comments:
Many who were against Prop 8 simply didn't understand the reason some people are adverse to gay marriage, and assumed that if you voted yes on it, you are a homophobic, prejudiced cruel human being.
Prop 8 is not a hate crime. According to some religious views, including Catholicism, marriage is only between a man and a woman. Voting Yes on Prop 8 did not mean that one hates gay people and doesn't want them to be happy with each other. It simply meant that they felt performing a marriage ceremony for two people who are not a man and a woman was not right. It sounds weird to you, but if you're for respecting other people's beliefs and rights, then accept that some people are religious and have a code of ethics which goes with that religion.
You yourself show a huge amount of unaccepting behavior. "Stop listening to your Church pastor and start paying attention to people's rights." You seem to be against religion. The Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of religion.
Finally, I am ashamed that you would infringe on someone's right to free expression. How do you think you would react if someone who supported Prop 8 ripped up every "No on 8" sign that they say along the road?
For somebody who seems to be pushing open-mindedness, you're surely close-minded. Not allowing people to express their opinions is wrong.
I'll save myself the time of writing it all up again, but I wrote up a response to this post recently that outlines exactly how I feel.
"Freedom of Speech For Me, But Not For Thee"
Freedom to not be homophobic. Also, freedom to be homophobic, if thats what someone wants.
I believe in freedom.
But I also believe in the constitution.
Separation of Church and State.
The Government doesn't have any right to change the fact that religion does not believe in homosexual marriage.
@ Katie:
You clearly don't seem to grasp the concept of separation of church and state. No matter what it was traditionally, marriage is no longer a religious ceremony- it now exists as a LEGAL union between two people. No matter what your religious beliefs are, they should have no place in the government. We have freedom of religion, yes, but that also means we have freedom from religion. Even if you are morally opposed to gay marriage, that doesn't mean you have the right to force your religious values on anybody else. There are plenty of religious people who don't support Prop 8 because they would never force their values on other people like that.
@ Everyone:
Despite what it used to be, marriage is no longer a religious ceremony. Its not just Catholics that get married- its people of all ages and races and religions. Therefore, I believe that there should be no such thing as religious marriage as far as the State is concerned. There should only be legally binding civil unions for any two consenting adults. If people wish to get "married" in a chruch, more power to them. But that ceremony would be just that- a ceremony. For two people to be legally binded in the eyes of the law, they would need to sign a legally binding document issued by the State.
It is the 21st century, after all.
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