Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The Call Has Gone Out


The right are calling upon their invisible superbeing to save California from the menace my husband and I represent. Though their invisible superbeing can't vote, THEY can. So can you. Overwhelm suspicion. Defeat superstition. Don't let some people's mythologies to interfere with the rational process of governing ourselves as a community. Vote No on 8 -- and remind all your friends and family to do the same.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just because you have chosen to turn your back on God doesn't mean that everyone else should. There is nothing wrong with people believing in a better way to live life. People are tolerant of your lifestyle. Don't force acceptance. The people voted before to keep marriage between man and woman, and hopefully this year they will vote to uphold that again.

Tom said...

But in America, we each get to choose what WE believe is "a better way to live life." I'm not seeking "acceptance," merely tolerance and equal treatment under the law. I tolerate your beliefs and don't interfere with your constitutional rights. All I ask is that you do the same for me.

JEREMY AND SARAHLYNN said...

I almost agree with you. I second what you say, except with one slight change:

The right are calling upon their invisible superbeing to save California from the menace my husband and I represent. Though their invisible superbeing can't vote, THEY can. So can you. Overwhelm suspicion. Defeat superstition. Don't let some people's mythologies to interfere with the rational process of governing ourselves as a community. Vote Yes on 8 -- and remind all your friends and family to do the same!

Tom said...

Except I'm not suspicious or superstitious. I try always to approach things rationally -- and no one has yet articulated a rational reason to deny marriage equality.

Thanks for participating in the discussion.

BTW, how do you feel about the Yes on 8 spokesperson saying that since gay people "can't reproduce, they have to recruit?" And the speaker at the Yes on 8 rally that compared those opposed to Prop 8 to Adolf Hitler -- don't you think the lies and vitriol have reached too high a level?

JEREMY AND SARAHLYNN said...

Well, I think the camp on 8 spokesperson is crudely trying to say that as the homosexual community fights to be treated fairly, there is a fear that more and more young people will be pressured or convinced that they are homosexual because they don't fit the boy or girl stereotype (hence "recruited" into the gay community).

I share in this concern, but the way she said it is not kind, esp since the focus of the campaign is supposed to be on families and not an attack on the gay community.

Do you think there is reason to believe that as homosexuality is more and more accepted, there are young people that choose to deal with their feelings of not fitting in by labeling themselves as gay, when in fact, they may not be?

About the Nazi argument. I think it's really mean to accuse anyone of being a Nazi. The only thing that can be compared with Hitler and the Nazis is pure genocide.

But I think the point from the speaker at the rally (from the clip on your blog) is about getting people to think for themselves instead of blindly following the decisions of gov leaders, to make your voice count, and to not just do something because it is the popular thing to do. Ironically, this argument can be used to support either side of the issue on Prop 8, as it is a universal principal with voting. And he could have said that without his little Hitler story.

I hope that answers your questions.

How do you feel about calling homosexual marriage something like gayraige? Does that insult you? Or does it do what I think it should do- offer a way for same-sex couples to have all the national rights and respect as married couples, but showing that it is different from marriage in that one union is between two of the same gender and the other union is between a man and a woman. My dad explains it better on gayriage.blogspot.com

Tom said...

Here's the deal with "recruitment." You have as much chance of "recruiting" someone to be gay as you do of recruiting them to be left-handed. Probably less, since there is no social stigma associated with being gay. Just take it from your own point of view -- could anything convince you to be attracted to someone of the same gender? Probably not.

I think what is happening is that as kids grow and develop sexually, being gay no longer represents being outcast or outlaw to the degree it did before. When I was growing up, if you had ANY heterosexual desire, you exploited it and tried to hide any gay aspect of your life. Today, kids are freer to be who they truly are. I think that's a good thing. The closet is a dark, awful place and it causes terrible, terrible pain. Tearing down those closet doors is one of the best things we can do for children. Some may experiment, most won't. A handful will realize they are, in fact, gay. The vast majority will not.

As far as "gayriage" goes, I just don't think it will work. "Marriage" is already written into too many laws at all levels of government.

Amanda said...

I don't like the gayriage thing. I understand the point, but i think it's leaning a bit too far on the "separate but equal" line, and we all know who well THAT works...