OK. So I'm a little peeved at the moment. And all of my faithful readers know by now that me peeved + blog generally = more than a little profanity. But in my ongoing effort to become more ladylike, I am trying to avoid the gratuitous four-letter french, so here goes nothing.
I couldn't be happier about the outcome of our most recent presidential election. My computer has been inoperable for a few weeks now rendering me unable to comment thus far, but my new one came hours ago and now I am free to run my mouth as much as I'd like. Barack Obama is the first presidential candidate in more than a decade that I've been able to vote for not because I see him as the lesser of two evils but because I truly believe in him. I've been watching him for a long time, read both his books, and sincerely believe him to be genuinely concerned with and committed to making this country better, not just for the affluent among us, but also the for the average Joe, whom at least financially I fall somewhere below. I hate it for those friends of mine who are seriously concerned that he will be president, but I believe that four years will prove him to be a man of his word and alleviate at least some of their fears. I know what it's like to honestly believe the wrong man got the job when you care about your country. I experienced that in both of the last two elections, and neither time was I ever given reason to feel otherwise. I can only hope it will be different for the Republican voters this go-round.
All that being said, I have not been able to fully enjoy what I see as a victory for the pall cast by the passage of Amendment 2. It makes me sad. Sad for friends of mine. Sad for Florida. Sad for my country, and for what I see as blatant disregard for the constitution that I hold so dear. The passage of this amendment, in my opinion, has set us back years where civil rights are concerned. And it's pathetic.
There are those who will justify the passage of this amendment by saying that marriage is not a civil right. That it's not guaranteed by the constitution. I'll grant you that. But neither does this great document apply only to straight men. We became a country after our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, which stated pretty unequivocally that "all men are created equal." It didn't mention race, though it was a long, hard battle to eventually include our African-American brethren in the concept. And it didn't mention gender, though women fought for and eventually won their spot under the umbrella of said equality. And it most certainly does not mention sexual orientation. So why are we now excluding those citizens?
What Amendment 2 and other laws like it boil down to, however you feel about homosexuality as a lifestyle, is a different set of laws for a specific group of people. And that's not the way things are supposed to be. Not in America. The laws are supposed to apply to everyone the same way, regardless of race, age, gender, socioeconomic status and even sexual preference. It is mind-boggling to me that after so many mistakes in the past, we are still unable to see that. And here we go again. It's discriminatory. It's small-minded. It's bigotry, all dressed up as some ill-conceived "defense of marriage" horseshit, and passed by people that I just can't understand. And I've tried. I've discussed the matter ad nauseum, and I've yet to receive a satisfactory explanation. Most of those I've spoken with have used their religious beliefs as a shield to any serious intellectual debate. And that really, REALLY pisses me off. There are a lot of people in this country breaking a lot of commandments, many of them sitting next to you in church on Sunday, but we don't relegate them to some sub-standard position in our society, nor do we make a different set of laws for them. This is bigotry. Plain and simple. And those who would hide behind religion, or purport to use their Bible's to legitimize said bigotry are ABSOLUTELY NO BETTER than those who did the same to legitimize their racism or sexism in years past.
To those who think they've struck a blow against homosexuality in the name of Jesus I would beg strongly to differ. You've struck a blow alright. But it was a blow for intolerance, for bigotry, and for hatred. There's not a single person out there who was gay before the election and is suddenly straight afterward. And there's not a single person out there that is considering the so-called error of their ways and looking to Christianity or Christians to be brought to the path of so-called righteousness. All you've done is prove to them that Christians have no room for them in their world, and consider them the lowest of the low. You've only alienated them further. Way to go, guys. WWJD? I dare say not that.
I hope one day you are all as ashamed of yourselves as I am. And for those of you who seriously think that your marriage is somehow 'safer' or stronger because this discriminatory amendment passed? You're more naïve than I thought. If another couple's love and commitment to one another is seriously a threat in any way to your marriage, then you are part of the problem.
Shame on this state. When this law gets changed, like all bigoted, discriminatory laws have in the past, (even in the south!), you better believe I'll be saying I told you so.
