(no subject)
Today, we're going to the dedication of Scripps' new field house--and Brandi Chastain will be speaking. Awesome!
Also going to go out and see my family, making up for the fact that I totally missed my grandpa's 92nd birthday on Monday. (I think that means no movie night, DS. We need to get together for lunch again...that seems to work out better.)
And, after sending the email below to all the California voters in my contact list, I signed up to volunteer for the No on 8 campaign. I'm just hoping that people don't yell at me and make me cry. We'll see how that goes.
Here's my open letter for those that didn't get it:
On a whim four years ago, I went to Washington state on vacation. Having recently gotten out of a relationship, I had no intention of getting into another one. But then I met Misha.
He was a graphic designer. I was in graduate school. He told me he loved me after knowing me a week--the day after he introduced me to his parents. After a year of Southwest flights back-and-forth, Misha moved to LA and within two weeks had found a job that he loved. We got married last summer.
Aside from, well, wanting to get married, Misha wanted just one thing to happen at our wedding: he wanted another couple to meet. My friend Julie flew out to be in the wedding. She, too, is a graphic designer. She met my friend Laura--who happens to be in graduate school. After a year of AirTran flights back-and-forth, Julie has moved to LA and, astonishingly, within two weeks, she found a job that is a great fit for her.
While the future will tell where Laura and Julie's relationship progresses, I know that no matter what, I want them to have the same options for their relationship that Misha and I have been fortunate enough to have. Misha is more than my partner, he is my husband. Even though we don't share a last name, being legally married can get Misha and I places that domestic partners wouldn't be allowed. Without having to sign additional paperwork, we're able to make health decisions for each other if and when that time comes. When I call Misha my husband, people automatically understand the depth of our commitment to each other.
One of the values I most appreciate about the Adventist church is its strong support of the separation of church and state. For this reason, many Adventists who lead and taught me at La Sierra are encouraging others to vote No on Proposition 8. I agree wholeheartedly with the following excerpts from adventistsagainstprop8.org/:
"We believe that this Proposition...breaches the spirit of religious liberty, separation of church and state, and non-establishment of religion that Adventists have long cherished. . .We believe that Proposition 8 can lead California - and the rest of the nation because of the significance of the state - down a highly troublesome and dangerous road toward religious definitions and arguments becoming a key part in shaping public policy, especially in matters that deal with private practices and rights of individuals."
Same-sex marriage does not threaten the sanctity of my marriage to Misha. As the Yes on 8 website claims, it will not "protect children" and it will not "restore marriage." Voting No will not only maintain an important separation of church and state, it, more importantly, will validate the genuine love and commitment that two people have for each other and their desire to express that joy publicly through marriage.
This November please join me in voting No on Proposition 8.
Also going to go out and see my family, making up for the fact that I totally missed my grandpa's 92nd birthday on Monday. (I think that means no movie night, DS. We need to get together for lunch again...that seems to work out better.)
And, after sending the email below to all the California voters in my contact list, I signed up to volunteer for the No on 8 campaign. I'm just hoping that people don't yell at me and make me cry. We'll see how that goes.
Here's my open letter for those that didn't get it:
On a whim four years ago, I went to Washington state on vacation. Having recently gotten out of a relationship, I had no intention of getting into another one. But then I met Misha.
He was a graphic designer. I was in graduate school. He told me he loved me after knowing me a week--the day after he introduced me to his parents. After a year of Southwest flights back-and-forth, Misha moved to LA and within two weeks had found a job that he loved. We got married last summer.
Aside from, well, wanting to get married, Misha wanted just one thing to happen at our wedding: he wanted another couple to meet. My friend Julie flew out to be in the wedding. She, too, is a graphic designer. She met my friend Laura--who happens to be in graduate school. After a year of AirTran flights back-and-forth, Julie has moved to LA and, astonishingly, within two weeks, she found a job that is a great fit for her.
While the future will tell where Laura and Julie's relationship progresses, I know that no matter what, I want them to have the same options for their relationship that Misha and I have been fortunate enough to have. Misha is more than my partner, he is my husband. Even though we don't share a last name, being legally married can get Misha and I places that domestic partners wouldn't be allowed. Without having to sign additional paperwork, we're able to make health decisions for each other if and when that time comes. When I call Misha my husband, people automatically understand the depth of our commitment to each other.
One of the values I most appreciate about the Adventist church is its strong support of the separation of church and state. For this reason, many Adventists who lead and taught me at La Sierra are encouraging others to vote No on Proposition 8. I agree wholeheartedly with the following excerpts from adventistsagainstprop8.org/:
"We believe that this Proposition...breaches the spirit of religious liberty, separation of church and state, and non-establishment of religion that Adventists have long cherished. . .We believe that Proposition 8 can lead California - and the rest of the nation because of the significance of the state - down a highly troublesome and dangerous road toward religious definitions and arguments becoming a key part in shaping public policy, especially in matters that deal with private practices and rights of individuals."
Same-sex marriage does not threaten the sanctity of my marriage to Misha. As the Yes on 8 website claims, it will not "protect children" and it will not "restore marriage." Voting No will not only maintain an important separation of church and state, it, more importantly, will validate the genuine love and commitment that two people have for each other and their desire to express that joy publicly through marriage.
This November please join me in voting No on Proposition 8.