NO on H8!

WARNING: Stong, emotional opinions ahead

"We've Got Trouble
Right Here in River City
With a Capital T
And That Rhymes with P
And That Stands for" PREJUDICE!

I must thank Meredith Wilson, the creator of the musical The Music Man, for the loan of his lyrics for a very important cause. That cause is of great conern to me. What it all boils down to is that I am worried about California. I am worried that the state that I have always considered superior to all others in the nation, the state that I think knows how to treat people well and cares about all its citizens, the state that I have considered above prejudice and hate, is about to give power to bigotry. How horrible would that be!? To make discrimination, hate, and bigotry a low is our fair state!? The idea terrifies me, and it should terrify you too!

I am talking about Proposition 8 - the proposition that would make a change in the California Constitution to ban gay marriage. But you know what, this proposition has nothing to do with gay marriage. This proposition has everything to do with changing our Constitution to mandate discrimination, to say "equality is only for some." Personally, and I guess I'm funny like this, but I think equality should be for everyone. Go figure!

Voting "Yes" on Propositon 8 means that a person is so full of hate and prejudice that they want to strip fundamental rights from a group of people that is a minority in our state. I compare this to people who once thought that women shouldn't be allowed to vote or that "colored" drinking fountains were best. Don't think it's the same thing? You bet it is. Only this time, the black people are gay people, but the bigots are still bigots.

I was told recently that "there are good people who don't support gay marriage." I agree with that. There are good people who don't agree with two people in love should be able to marry simply because of their sexual preference. I don't agree with those poeple, but I do agree that not liking gay marriage doesn't make you a bad person. However, I don't think that you can vote in favor of discrimination becoming a law and still be considered a good person. You have to be a pretty hateful person to think that discrimination and prejudice and stripping people of their rights would be a swell thing to add to our California Constitution. This has nothing to do with gay marriage or religion - IT IS DISCRIMINATION. Whether you descriminate because of age, sex, race, nationality, sexual preference...it doesn't matter. It's all the same. It's all descrimination. It's all prejudice. It's a biggotry. Don't like gay people for all I care. Don't recognize their marriages in YOUR church. But how dare you turn our great state, our precious Constitution, a document that was created to provide equality to all, don't you dare turn it into your selfish weapon of hate.

If you vote "Yes" on Proposition 8 on Tuesday, I don't care who you are or how much I love you, know that I will be deeply disappointed in who you are.