Bitter Sweet

The 2008 election will forever haunt my mind as being bitter sweet. First I must acknowledge that my man Barack Obama has become the first African American president elect. This historic election has shown that America has finally broken through the toughest barriers involving race relations. His presidency represents that hope is still present in this country. That is what keeps me going in this nation because of the passage of proposition 8, which has caused me to become deeply disgruntled with Californians. I’m immensely proud of the United States of America but in regards to our state I am truly ashamed.
I think one of the problems with this race was misinformation. The Yes on 8 campaign relied on their understanding of cultural marketing and generous contributions from countless churches including the Mormon Church where a significant amount of funding came from. The No on 8 campaign however relied on people coming to their senses and figuring out that it is wrong to write discrimination into our state’s constitution, because essentially that is what this proposition came down to even though the other side never admitted it. Instead they decided to use scare tactics and smoke screens; here are just some they used.
FICTION: Gay marriage will be taught in public schools
FACT: Not one word in the proposition mentions education. No child can be forced to be taught anything against the will of their parents, California law prohibits it. Even superintendent of schools in California, Jack O’Connell says prop 8 has nothing to do with schools.
FICTION: Churches will lose tax-exemption status
FACT: The court decision regarding marriage specifically says “no religion will be required to change its religious policies or practices with regard to same-sex couples, and no religious official will be required to solemnize a marriage in contravention of his or her religious beliefs.”
FICTION: If prop 8 isn’t passed people can be sued over personal beliefs.
FACT: California’s laws already prohibit discrimination against anyone based on race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. This has nothing to do with marriage.
Even after lying about the schools, the tax exemptions, and the suing Yes on 8 proved to be still be conniving and untrustworthy. The campaign frequently appealed to black voters by leaving messages on answering machines saying Barack Obama’s stance on gay marriage. It’s ironic because Obama stated that proposition 8 was “divisive and discriminatory”. Many prominent elected officials opposed prop 8 including our state senators Barbara Boxer and Diana Feinstein. Even our governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican opposed this proposition. The Yes on 8 campaign made it seem as if love had been shrunk to reproductively, as if people only get married to produce children to an overpopulated world. They also made it seem as if every American family consisted of the nuclear family, meaning a father, a mother, a son, and a daughter; as if there is no such thing as single parenting. The campaign representing everything that is deceptive, deceiving, and conniving.
Now that the facts are cleared up, why did this horrendous and discriminating proposition still get passed? I think it’s pretty obvious, religion. Our country is horribly wrapped up into religion even though we are supposed to maintain a separation of church and state. Honestly I’m not even sure if most Americans are aware of that notion. I’ve had a first encounter with this. I was sitting in my AP government class before the election and we were discussing prop 8. The teacher asked for arguments from both sides. I remember one girl from my class shouting out her opinion advocating prop 8 by saying “it’s in the bible”. I couldn’t help but laugh that she would think because it’s in the bible it’s okay to shove that onto the whole state even country I’m sure she thought. Then I heard her say this was a “Christian nation”. Another account I heard in school was how a girl was appalled and offended when her priest at her Catholic Church told everyone during mass to please vote yes on 8 in the upcoming election. There was a lot of that going around in this year’s election. In regard to the religious fanatics trying to shove your beliefs down my throat, I could care less if you think I’m going to hell, but don’t take away my right to marry the person I love when it has no effect on your life, only on thousands others. I better get off the subject of Christianity in America and the increasing role it plays in politics before I get distracted.
The point is that on November 4th our state instilled discrimination into our constitution. If I’m not mistaken our country was built on the principles of freedom, I don’t know maybe I’m wrong. This passage makes me feel quite differently about what the “American way” and “freedom” means to me. If I can’t get married to the person I love how free am I.
The biggest upset over this resolution is that it does not affect the voters lives in anyway, unless they are gay of course. Many people seem to share my point of view of why are people so against gay marriage it does not affect them. After seeing all the Yes on 8 signs in Chula Vista before the election I came to really resent my city for its conservative majority.
So what is the big deal California? In short is does not affect the average person’s life. In reality is does affect mine, my aunt’s, my friend’s mom, and many others. The passage of prop 8 reflects how truly conservative and backward California can be. Hopefuls of prop 8’s failure thought this could be the beginning to true equality in that California leads the way for the rest of the country in some respects. I think it shows the American way is to shame upon difference. It has always been that way. Just look at the race relations of this country. How Americans have treated blacks, Mexicans, Asians, the disabled, the mentally insane, Muslims, women, and now homosexuals. Up until the 1960’s whites and blacks could not intermarry. It’s the same form of discrimination. It just blows my mind how people cannot see that. How Californians cannot be upset that we have written DISCRIMINATION into our state’s constitution. Some people are blaming blacks and Mexicans for the passage of prop 8, saying their votes accounted for the overall passage. I say we cannot blame a particular group; we must move forward and educate.
We are living in a culture war these days, and the 21st century will be the civil rights movement for the gays. In my opinion it’s about being afraid of something different than you or give full equality and rights to ALL Americans. Those who opposed proposition 8 just need to remember that four letter word, Hope. This is not the end and we will NOT give up on our rights. If you would like to get involved in the fight to repeal proposition 8 sign the petition at www.couragecampaign.com.