Prop 8 = No
I was going to write about my other cat, Balthasar, today. But election and politics season is here, and I'm going to write about that for today and tomorrow. I couldn't ignore it even if I wanted to, which I don't.
I'm not from California, but a lot of my friends are. Prop 8, a state constitutional amendment titled Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry, is on the ballot.
I overwhelmingly encourage everyone to go to the polls tomorrow, or call their friends in California to encourage them to go, and vote No.
A lot is tied up in the word "marriage" - and the opposition to allowing that legal distinction to be given to same-sex couples is due to the culturally religious nature of that word. I'm particularly dismayed at all of the major candidates for President and Vice President stating something silly like "I'm for full rights and civil unions, but against 'gay marriage.'" If one is for full civil rights, but against gay marriage, I can only assume that's because of some religious or stubborn cultural tie they have to the word "marriage."
But a marriage performed in a non-religious ceremony by a judge is still called "marriage." Our legal definition of marriage isn't tied to religion. I'm in a heterosexual marriage and I'd prefer the government called mine a "civil union" - even though we were married in a church, by a priest. What happened in that church on the day of my wedding shouldn't have anything to do with the civil rights I obtained by turning in my marriage certificate and license. And, in fact, it doesn't - because, by definition, all legal marriages are "civil unions" because they bestow legal terms; whether they have any other personal meaning, religious or otherwise, is up to the persons involved in that partnership.
Here are some of the legal rights afforded by marriage:
-Status as "next-of-kin" for hospital visits and medical decisions
-Right to make a decision about the disposal of loved ones remains
-Domestic violence protection orders
-Automatic inheritance in the absence of a will
-Spousal veterans benefits
-Joint filing of tax returns
-Bereavement or sick leave to care for partner or children
-Joint Insurance Plans
-Deferred Compensation for pension and IRAs
-Joint housing for elderly
These rights are absolutely civil rights, and they are still withheld in some states, and only recently granted to same-sex couples in others (like California). The title of this bill, however, is Eliminates Right(s).
At least Prop 8 isn't even couched in nonsensical-yet-button-pushing terms such as "Protection of Marriage" or "Affirmation of Marriage" or even "California Marriage Protection Act" - which it was originally named, but changed to be more accurate (as it should be). This is an elimination of rights, pure and simple.
It saddens me to think that some people still believe they can be for "civil unions" but against "gay marriage." Don't they realize they're the same thing?
I'm not from California, but a lot of my friends are. Prop 8, a state constitutional amendment titled Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry, is on the ballot.
I overwhelmingly encourage everyone to go to the polls tomorrow, or call their friends in California to encourage them to go, and vote No.
A lot is tied up in the word "marriage" - and the opposition to allowing that legal distinction to be given to same-sex couples is due to the culturally religious nature of that word. I'm particularly dismayed at all of the major candidates for President and Vice President stating something silly like "I'm for full rights and civil unions, but against 'gay marriage.'" If one is for full civil rights, but against gay marriage, I can only assume that's because of some religious or stubborn cultural tie they have to the word "marriage."
But a marriage performed in a non-religious ceremony by a judge is still called "marriage." Our legal definition of marriage isn't tied to religion. I'm in a heterosexual marriage and I'd prefer the government called mine a "civil union" - even though we were married in a church, by a priest. What happened in that church on the day of my wedding shouldn't have anything to do with the civil rights I obtained by turning in my marriage certificate and license. And, in fact, it doesn't - because, by definition, all legal marriages are "civil unions" because they bestow legal terms; whether they have any other personal meaning, religious or otherwise, is up to the persons involved in that partnership.
Here are some of the legal rights afforded by marriage:
-Status as "next-of-kin" for hospital visits and medical decisions
-Right to make a decision about the disposal of loved ones remains
-Domestic violence protection orders
-Automatic inheritance in the absence of a will
-Spousal veterans benefits
-Joint filing of tax returns
-Bereavement or sick leave to care for partner or children
-Joint Insurance Plans
-Deferred Compensation for pension and IRAs
-Joint housing for elderly
These rights are absolutely civil rights, and they are still withheld in some states, and only recently granted to same-sex couples in others (like California). The title of this bill, however, is Eliminates Right(s).
At least Prop 8 isn't even couched in nonsensical-yet-button-pushing terms such as "Protection of Marriage" or "Affirmation of Marriage" or even "California Marriage Protection Act" - which it was originally named, but changed to be more accurate (as it should be). This is an elimination of rights, pure and simple.
It saddens me to think that some people still believe they can be for "civil unions" but against "gay marriage." Don't they realize they're the same thing?