Proposition 8 passed in California and the resulting chaos:
First I have to say that it really makes me angry that people actually think it’s any of their business what other people do in their lives, bedrooms and marriages. I don’t see how Jane and Sue getting hitched threatens or lessens in any way my marriage or anyone elses’. It’s their business and should stay that way.
Regardless though of how one feels about gay marriage, for or against, the really disgusting thing is that they are using the Constitution of California to make discrimination legal and that is just wrong.
Constitutions (both State and Federal) are documents that are created for the sole purpose of protecting the rights of individual citizens and preventing discrimination against them. To use or misuse these documents to legalize discrimination and take away rights from ANYBODY is morally and legally wrong. I’m not a lawyer but it seems completely against the intent of said documents. If it’s not illegal it should be.
Our Constitution ( Federal and the individual States’) say in no uncertain terms that all people are created equal and as such have certain rights. No it does not say the right to marry heterosexually or otherwise.
However to use the constitution to legally discriminate against any group or individual is a complete and utter perversion of the document, it’s purpose and intent.
To use public funds for a vote to take away rights from any group or idividual is ridiculous and should be a criminal offense. Discrimination is wrong. Period.
I’ve heard all the arguments for and against and honestly I still don’t understand why gay and lesbian people wanting the same rights and benefits as any other couple should concern or threaten anyone else. If you don’t like it don’t do it and ignore those who do. Why do people think they should tell others how to live?
If we use laws to take away rights of gays and lesbians today then who will we go after tomorrow or the next day? Maybe next they will decide that women should not have the right to vote or work or maybe hispanics should not have the right to have their relatives live with them or who knows what is next? Where does it stop?
Gay and lesbian rights are human rights and you cannot use the tools of empowerment and protection of those rights to deny them and call it fair, just or even sane.
On the other side of the spectrum are the folks who voted against this “law” and are now justifiably angry that it passed who are not just protesting and writting to their lawmakers. Now they have begun “outing” and “punishing” those who they find voted for it and contributed money to the cause. Boycotts and harassment are in full swing.
Yes it is their right to boycott businesses if they feel like doing so. It is not right however to “out” people that supported the measure and harass them, try to get them fired, ruin their lives and reputations for excersising their right to vote. Although I don’t support the measure or the fact it was even put on the ballot the fact remains that in our society voting is a right and is a private matter.
These people supported this measure for whatever reasons they have and as it was on the ballot they had the choice and the right to vote for or against it. That is their right and it is supposed to be private and it is just as wrong to persecute them for voting their consciences as it is for them to discriminate against gays and lesbians. You don’t right one wrong by committing another one.
That is violating the rights of those voters. We are all free in this country to vote our conscience be it right or wrong. Unfortunately there is no rule of thumb that a proposed piece of legislation must be morally and legally correct before being placed on the ballot. It’s placed there, voted upon and if it is proven to be illegal or wrong it will have to be legally overturned. It’s called due process.
No where does it say find out who supported it and make their lives a living hell, expose them to public shame and humiliation and destroy all rules and laws regarding privacy and voters’ rights in the name of your cause. You take it back to court and fight an unjust law the leagl way. You fight bigotry and injustice not with more of the same but with legal means and with education not fear and hate.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
CQ
