Proposition 8, or A Disaster for Equal Rights

I just wanted to write a brief post about Proposition 8 in California, a measure on their ballot this November that would "Eliminate the Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry", as the very title of the initiative indicates, by altering the California state constitution.

I believe wholeheartedly that the movement to extend equal rights to the lesbian and gay communities is the primary battle being fought in civil rights in this country today, with the possible exception of the battle over immigration policy. Furthermore, I feel that this conflict will be key in defining whether we are a moral people who treat all of our citizens with respect and dignity or whether we allow the battered ideology of a shrinking but powerful alliance of religious crackpots and "family values" touting hypocrites to consign us to continuing moral imbalance as a nation.

Frankly, I am fighting mad that some people have so much god damned time to piss away that they would put a proposition on the ballot to end the hard fought and briefly enjoyed equality and happiness of their fellow Americans. That is un-American. Sarah Palin recently mentioned that she likes to come speak in the "pro-America" parts of our country. I say that every person who would actively seek to support a sick measure like Prop 8 is at root un-American, anti-American and hostile to the very things that make us great as a country.

In particular, I would like to call out those in the Mormon Church who have recently taken a forceful stand in favor of this measure. Have they forgotten their own history? Do they no longer remember what it is like to be the target of hateful attacks and inequality? If not, why would they seek to inshrine inequality in the law?

I know that this measure does not have any direct affect on the majority of those of you who will be reading this, either because of geography or imagined inapplicability, but I argue that this measure is a mar upon the soul of our nation and we all have a responsibility to do what we can to fight it, while we still have a chance. I may not be a gay man, but I feel that I am my brother's and sister's keeper, and certainly as a citizen have a right to stand up for the rights of my fellows. I am certainly as much a steward of the rights and dignity of my comrades as of my own. Therefore I am pledging that I will make a financial contribution to the fight against this ill conceived and backwards measure. It may not be a lot, but it will be something. I urge you, good reader, to do the same, here, or elsewhere. And if you happen to be a Californian, I urge you to do even more - actively volunteer your time to fight this battle for the soul of your state, and ultimately, our country.