Nation-wide Rally Against Prop 8 Tomorrow!

[unityofeffect]

Forgive the last minute notice, but for anyone who didn't know about this and is interested in participating, there is nationwide rally going on tomorrow - Saturday, November 15th.

You can find out about the rallies in your area on this website:
http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/

You can also find ways to become involved in this issue at the No On 8 website: http://www.noonprop8.com/

Proposition 8 passed on election day. It eliminates the rights of same-sex couples to marry. This fight is not over. Many people are doing what they can to return civil rights to all Californians.

P.S. Congratulations Connecticut for acknowledging the rights of same-sex couples to marry.

[Jennifer]

Yay Connecticut!

I'm going to stop by the one in my city, see what I can do.

Anyone else?

[Kevin]

Going to at least one, tomorrow.

[Katie]

I can't go (stupid rehearsal) but I wish all of you the best of luck.

[Mags]

Yeah, I couldn't make it down to the city but I heard it went pretty well! Congrats everyone. :]

[unityofeffect]

A personal emergency come up so I could only drive by mine. It looked pretty good though I think it had started thinning out because it had already been going on for hours. It was great to see people out with signs and flags. I'm so proud that so many people across the country came together to protest.

[marnie childress]

Marriage needs to stay one man and one woman...The voters made that clear...I don't hate gays or lesbians, I love and pray for them, but the Bible is clear about marriage and to distort that is wrong...everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I hope I won't get any ugly remarks from my comments, as I am just expressing my opinion...

[Anidori-Isilee]

But Marnie, the bible doesn't rule America. So what the bible says? It actually doesn't matter at all because laws cannot be made about what the bible says, as it violates the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.

Also, although many people marry in churches, as married couples receive benefits from state, they are married in the eyes of the law as well, which to me, makes marriage a legal function and not just a church function. I believe that individual churches should be free to refuse to marry gay couples, but I think that gay couples should be able to marry legally.

You see, I'm not religious. So if I get married, I'm most likely not going to get married in the church. But in the eyes of the law, I'll be just as married as if I were married in a church, correct?

As there is no objection to gay marriage other than religious objections, there is no strong reason to declare gay marriage illegal.

As it is, the majority has no right to take away a basic right from a minority, especially a right that the minority has already been given. That is so unbelievably cruel and honestly, not very Christian. (Love your neighbor as you love yourself, anyone? I don't know about you, but I'd be extremely hurt if someone made a law saying that I couldn't marry the person I was in love with because they found it immoral and I didn't. I'm assuming you would be too. Considering that scientists pretty much agree that homosexuality is genetic or whatever and NOT a choice, I sort of equate the whole gay marriage thing to saying that I as a writer shouldn't marry another a writer. Being a writer is who I am. I can try to fight it, but I wouldn't be me. And I wouldn't be happy. And I want to give gay couples that same chance to be themselves and be happy. So I support gay marriage. That simple.)

[dejeuner]

Wait, I need to get this straight. Democracy only works if it goes your way? Why can't the people of each state decide? If it isn't covered in the Constitution, it is a matter left to the states to decide. I DO NOT want to see a constitutional ammendment on this issue. It should be left to the people of each state. And when the people of the state have spoken it should be respected, protesting at churches and becoming hostile and violent does not help their case.

[Anidori-Isilee]

I honestly don't think it needs to be an amendment in ANY constitution. It should just be a given that two men or two women should be able to get married. There is NO REASON for gay marriage NOT to be legal. As a non-Christian, that the bible declares homosexuality a sin is meaningless to me; I do not believe that it is. Even if I were a Christian, I would be against Prop 8 because it would be forcing MY religious beliefs onto someone else. Proponents of Prop 8 say that gay marriage will harm society and destroy "traditional" marriage. Do they have proof? No. None whatsoever. It is not harmful to teach love. Also, how does something get to be tradition? People just start practicing it. Someone says, "Hey! What about this?" and a people get on board. Does it make it "right"? No. Not really. It just means it's what people do. It doesn't mean that it can't--and shouldn't--change. ("The Lottery", anyone?)

And again, the CA Supreme Court ruled the previous ban unconstitutional. Because again, the majority DOES NOT HAVE THE RIGHT to take away a right that was PREVIOUSLY GIVEN to a harmless minority. Being gay does not make you a bad person, and wanting to share your life with another is not wrong. (I define marriage as a uniting of lives between consenting adults. So yes, I am fine with polygamy. As of now, I see no reason why I shouldn't be. As long as the participants are willing and it's not harming society--murder harms society; robbing banks harms society; getting married doesn't harm society--I don't much care.)

I do not think that protesting at churches is over-the-top. The Constitution guarantees the right to peacefully assemble. I will agree with you about violence, though.

[unityofeffect]

I agree with you Anidori.

I'd also like to point out to dejeuner that part of the reason why people are fighting the passing of Prop 8 is because there is a concern that it constitutes a re-writing of our constitution. If it does then it can only be passed by a two thirds majority vote. Since it only passed by 52% that would not be enough of a margin for it to pass.

Not only that, democracy is not about the majority oppressing or taking away the rights of a minority.

[Anidori-Isilee]

And I just wanted to add this:

It is not that I think democracy works when it only goes my way. Democracy works only when the voting options are fair. Had McCain won the election, I would have accepted that. For another example, in Meg Cabot's All-American Girl, Sam makes a comment about how the school's art department suffers. She had proposed for more funding going to art supplies, but most voted for a trip to an amusement park instead. Although I personally side with Sam, I accept the result of the vote as it is not taking away someone's right. It's a bummer, but I'd live. I cannot live in a country that spews out ideals of freedom, however, and then turns around and takes away a right. Perhaps that is democratic, but it is not right.

If you don't support gay marriage, don't participate in a same-sex marriage. That simple. If a church opposes gay marriage, then that church can refuse to perform those ceremonies. I do believe that. But same-sex couples should be given every right that heterosexual couples have, including the right to marry.

[dejeuner]

I never said word one about "the bible". I am a Christian, but I believe your sexual orientation is between you and God. It is not my place to tell people they can't get married or be in love and I never would. That said, the "majority" word keeps coming up followed by oppression. The fact that it was a small majority that passed Prop 8 should make those who believe in gay marriage that much more resolved to change the outcome next time.
Did you know the purpose of marriage was not religious? What we know now came from the Victorian era. There was a need for men to be held accountable on paper to support their wife and children. Up to that point the men could just shove-off whenever they wanted and deny the religious ceremony happened or that "those snot-nosed kids" were his anyway. At that point the church was left to care for the fatherless and their mothers.