Our dear friends and supporters, Michelle (holding Kate) and Annie
Lucas has changed his "Equal Rice" to "Equal Rights"...what a difference a year makes!
The California Supreme Court recently decided on the validity of Proposition 8, a statewide voter initiative to define marriage in CA to only be between one man and one woman. Fortunately, for us, they allowed the 18,000 same-gender marriages that occurred last year to stand. For those couples who would like to formalize their relationship through marriage, it looks like they'll have to visit a more progressive state. I never thought I would find myself saying that there are more progressive states than CA :o(
I recently engaged in a pretty intense discusssion on FACEBOOK with a woman who insisted that this isn't anything personal against same-gender couples...just a religious distinction. After many entries & points being made on both sides, I think I might have helped her understand our dilemma - separate never is equal. One of the points she argued is that the "natural" order of humanity is a bond between a man and a woman for the purpose of procreation. In response, I asked her if we should only allow marriages for those heterosexual couples whose intentions were to procreate. She agreed that would be ridiculous. I also asked where she received her marriage license. Her church or her county clerk's office? My goal was to clarify that this is a CIVIL RIGHTS issue. Not a religious one. If we were to follow the CHRISTIAN bible to establish the legal definition of marriage, women would be property of their husbands, etc. etc. There is so much in the bible that simply would not make sense in our lives today. Plus the fact that we are a country of many religions - not just Christianity. This country was established to escape theocratic oppression from a single church. Our founding fathers intentions were that there should be a separation of church & state in our life, liberty & pursuit of happiness.
She then got on the subject of education. "Our children will be taught about these same-sex marriages....the hundreds of dollars I pay each month in taxes that goes toward education will be spent on this" I replied that I ALSO pay hundreds of dollars in taxes toward education each month and I don't have a problem with age appropriate education about all of our citizens...we DO EXIST. You can't bury your head in the sand in the hopes that we will just go away. If PUBLIC schools are providing information to your children that you are not comfortable with, you can a) appeal to the school board and opt out or request they modify the curriculum or b) take your child out and put them in a private school that is more aligned with your goals.
I think the comment that helped the most in our mutual understanding was when I asked her why her children get to call their parents "married" but my children have to call their parents "unioned". Separate is never equal.
Please check out our PSA on the subject & VOTE for it! (if you like it, of course!). It is up with many others for a spot on TV, depending on which one wins.
1 comment:
Great post! Hugs and kisses to the equal rice fam.
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