My thoughts on Prop. 8 (and the legislation of morality in general)

[lpmadman007]

Okay, so let's talk about the specifics first. Let me warn you, I'm quite angry about this, so I'm not entirely logical. But I'll give it my best shot.
I don't understand what argument supports a ban on gay marriage. It seems to make no sense to me. Let me rattle off a few arguments.

• "Gays marrying would ruin the sanctity of marriage." What kind of argument is that? Look at our divorce rates, and tell me how many couples in America do indeed stay together 'til death do them apart. Look at our celebrities, who change spouses as if they're accessories. There are many straight people who do not respect the sanctity of marriage. What right do they then have to deny marriage to homosexuals?
• "Gays would marry to commit fraud and reap tax benefits." Right...like the straight couples which already do. Do you mean to tell me that it's impossible for two men or women to love each other? That the only reason such a couple would marry would be to commit fraud? Granted, there are people who will abuse the system. But as Gandhi once said, "Just because a few drops in the ocean are dirty, does not mean the ocean is dirty." It is foolish as a society to deny a right to a group simply because a small segment of the group may abuse the right.
• "Homosexuality is not 'real'. It is a learned behavior." Oh really? This one is an interesting one. Homosexuality is a learned behavior. That means that the dozens of species that practice it don't know it by nature, they learned it out of a book. There are studies that show a cognitive difference between a straight person and a gay person. In fact, if you want an example of what a "learned behavior" is, look no further than MARRIAGE. The only reason you believe marriage to be a certain way is because you have been told socially that it's supposed to be that way. So because more people believe in your social delusion, it's incontrovertible truth? Right....
• "Gays cannot provide the proper home for children, because children need a mother and father figure." OK. By that token, any non-traditional household cannot raise children properly. So that means that single parents cannot provide a good home for their children. Homosexuality is not a psychological disease. Gays are able to love and care for children. And if that's good enough for a single mother to raise a child properly, a child who would one day grow to be President (Barack Obama), it should be damn well good enough to allow a gay couple to raise a child.
• "Gays cannot have children, like straight couples. Therefore, there is no point in them marrying." How dare you sully marriage by claiming that it is deeply rooted in procreation. If a woman or man is sterile, does that mean that they cannot marry? Aren't there enough children in our world that are unloved already? Do we really need to be making more?

 ...but I'll back up a second. If you're a Christian fundamentalist, you do believe in the sanctity of marriage. You do believe that men can only love women, and women can only love men. You believe that God created man and beast separately, and that homosexuality is an emulation of lesser beings. You believe strongly in the nuclear family, and believe strongly in instilling "family values."

let's face it. You don't like the idea of gay marriage because it's different from what you know, what you believe. It scares you, and in response, you throw every label you can at it. Immoral, disgusting, disrespectful, corrupting--you know it all. You feel because God says things a certain way, and that everyone must do things that way, whether or not they believe in God the same way you do. I have no issue with religion guiding a person's choices. I have an issue, however, when religion is projected on a non-member, and limits the non-member's choices. Let's say we have two people, A and B. A is a person in power, B is not. A is a believer, B is not.
A: _____ is illegal because my God says it's illegal. Therefore, anyone who does ____ will be punished according to my God's word.
B: Really? But my God says ___ is OK. Why should I listen to your God?
A: Uh...well...your god is WRONG! Mine is the only true God. Therefore, you will be punished!

You see the problem here. I can understand that legislation may draw from religion as a guide. But I caution that when legislation draws from a certain denomination as opposed to an attempt to protect the rights and safety of a diverse society, injustices can and will form.