Thoughts on Proposition 8
After the election, I had a sudden urge to start writing. I have been working on this for the past couple of weeks, and wanted to post it for others to read. It's rather long, so I'm putting it behind a cut. I would like some feedback, if possible. Thank you.
Proposition 8 was one of the most controversial and talked-about item agendas on the 2008 ballot in California. I am sorry that it passed, 52% to 48%.
Marriage is about commitment, love and partnership. It’s saying that ‘this person is my partner for life’. Why should this only be allowed to heterosexual couples?
I am a big fan of the TV show The Golden Girls. In one episode, entitled “Sisters of the Bride”, Blanche tries to come to terms with her brother Clayton, who is gay, getting married to his life partner. Written by Marc Cherry and Jamie Wooten, and acted out by Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, it is one of the last scenes that I particularly enjoy:
[Blanche sits at the kitchen table when Sophia enters]
Sophia: “Blanche, I’ve been thinking about Clayton and Doug and I have a question.”
Blanche: “What?”
Sophia: “Why do men have nipples?”
Blanche: [after a thoughtful pause] “I have no idea.”
Sophia: [as she sits down across from Blanche] “You think it’s because God has a sense of
humor or isn’t as uptight as the rest of us?”
Blanche: “It’s easier for you to say that Sophia, it’s not your brother who’s getting
married to a man.”
Sophia: “Hey, it’s not like the guys in my family never kissed a man. Of course that was
business. Although, there was that one hit man who always had to have a flower in
his lapel, and held the Kiss of Death a little longer than he had to.”
Blanche: “Oh look, I can accept the fact that he’s gay but, why does he have to slip a ring
on this guy’s finger so the whole world will know?”
Sophia: “Why did you marry George?”
Blanche: “We loved each other. We wanted to make a lifetime commitment, wanted everybody to
know.”
Sophia: “That’s what Doug and Clayton want, too. Everyone wants someone to grow old with,
and shouldn’t everyone have that chance?”
Blanche: [lets out a sigh, stands up and lays her hand on Sophia’s] “Sophia, I think I see
what you’re getting at.”
Sophia: [lays her other hand on top of Blanche’s] “I don’t think you do. Blanche, will you
marry me?”
Blanche: [chuckles and grasps Sophia’s hand with both her own] “Thank you Sophia. I need to
go talk to them.”
Sophia: “Fine, but I’ll need an answer. I’m not going to wait for you forever.”
*If you want to see the scene or even the entire episode, go to YouTube and enter in ‘the
golden girls, sisters of the bride’; the scene is part 3/3 about 2 minutes in.
That one line, “everyone wants someone to grow old with, and shouldn’t everyone have that chance?” hits it right on the head. ‘Marriage’ is simply a term, bonding two people for life. What exactly is ‘traditional marriage’ anyway? I don’t think there is such a thing. Didn’t it use to be two people fall in love, get married, have kids and continue with their lives? These days, some couples have children before getting married, or get married because of a pregnancy or child. What about immigrants or people who marry so that one individual can stay in the country? How about the elderly who marry for companionship? Are those ‘traditional’? I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with these scenarios, but I doubt they are what would be called ‘traditional’.
On November 4, I got to experience history as Barrack Obama became the first black president of the United States. But with that huge step forward, we also took a huge step back by treating homosexuals as second-class citizens. We had the civil rights movement in the 1960s; it’s now time for the gay rights movement.
As I tuned in to other news, waiting for the propositions, I got to hear what both sides had to say. One particular statement that was said from individuals from the ‘Yes on Prop 8’ side stuck in my head: “I’m voting this way for my children.”
That really stuck in my head, particularly because I am currently studying early childhood education. Children still are learning about everything that this world has, so what happens if they learn that two people of the same gender can be committed to each other? Will it turn them gay? They already see violence and anger; how about a little more love instead of hate?
As I pondered this, I remembered a particular children’s book that I learned about in one of my classes, Literature in Early Childhood Education (ECE). This class opened my eyes to the kind topics I never thought would be introduced in a child’s book. And they were written in a way that children could comprehend and learn from. Topics such as death, anatomy, religion, culture and family have been approached in a great way for children.
I proceeded to the bookstore, found the book and sat down to read it. The title of the book is Heather has Two Mommies, by Lesléa Newman, who herself, is Jewish lesbian. It points out that every family is different; that could not be more truthful today. There are children being raised by fathers, mothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, foster families, even siblings. This is a wonderful book, and I highly recommend it.
Before the election, I had picked up a newsletter, “Children’s Advocate”, published by Action Alliance for Children. In it, there were “Five Measures that would Affect Kids”, which gave a clear explanation on the propositions and showed the views of both supporters and opponents. For Proposition 8, this is what was shown:
Supporters
“For the well-being of children and of society, we must not allow the creation of government-imposed counterfeit marriage”, says the Family Research Council.
-Research shows that children do best when raised by their biological mother and father and when their parents are in a lifelong marriage.
-Children should not be guinea pigs for social experiments in redefining marriage.
Opponents
“(This measure would) put many families (headed by same-sex couples) at risk for emotional and financial harm, and present them as second-class citizens,” says Lambda Legal.
-Parents and their children should not be discriminated against.
-Same-sex couples should have legal protections and rights like any other couples.
-This measure would harm children by making it more likely that same-sex parents would lose custody, visitation rights, and the ability [to] adopt children.
I cringed when I read ‘government-imposed marriage’ and scoffed at ‘children do best when raised by their biological mother and father and when their parents are in a lifelong marriage’. Personally, I believe that children do well when they are surrounded by loving family, a good community and have good morals and values. There are children raised by single parents and adoptive parents who turn out wonderfully. And if they don’t believe that, look at our new president-elect, Barack Obama, who was raised by his mother and grandparents.
The opinion edition page in the L.A. Times pointed out several interesting points. It used to be that interracial marriages were not allowed. And I had forgotten that 4 years ago, it was 61% against gay marriage; this year, it was 52%.
The issue of gay marriage will be tossed back and forth for a long time. I just hope that, in my lifetime, I am able to see that there is more love and understanding in this world instead of hate.
Proposition 8 was one of the most controversial and talked-about item agendas on the 2008 ballot in California. I am sorry that it passed, 52% to 48%.
Marriage is about commitment, love and partnership. It’s saying that ‘this person is my partner for life’. Why should this only be allowed to heterosexual couples?
I am a big fan of the TV show The Golden Girls. In one episode, entitled “Sisters of the Bride”, Blanche tries to come to terms with her brother Clayton, who is gay, getting married to his life partner. Written by Marc Cherry and Jamie Wooten, and acted out by Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, it is one of the last scenes that I particularly enjoy:
[Blanche sits at the kitchen table when Sophia enters]
Sophia: “Blanche, I’ve been thinking about Clayton and Doug and I have a question.”
Blanche: “What?”
Sophia: “Why do men have nipples?”
Blanche: [after a thoughtful pause] “I have no idea.”
Sophia: [as she sits down across from Blanche] “You think it’s because God has a sense of
humor or isn’t as uptight as the rest of us?”
Blanche: “It’s easier for you to say that Sophia, it’s not your brother who’s getting
married to a man.”
Sophia: “Hey, it’s not like the guys in my family never kissed a man. Of course that was
business. Although, there was that one hit man who always had to have a flower in
his lapel, and held the Kiss of Death a little longer than he had to.”
Blanche: “Oh look, I can accept the fact that he’s gay but, why does he have to slip a ring
on this guy’s finger so the whole world will know?”
Sophia: “Why did you marry George?”
Blanche: “We loved each other. We wanted to make a lifetime commitment, wanted everybody to
know.”
Sophia: “That’s what Doug and Clayton want, too. Everyone wants someone to grow old with,
and shouldn’t everyone have that chance?”
Blanche: [lets out a sigh, stands up and lays her hand on Sophia’s] “Sophia, I think I see
what you’re getting at.”
Sophia: [lays her other hand on top of Blanche’s] “I don’t think you do. Blanche, will you
marry me?”
Blanche: [chuckles and grasps Sophia’s hand with both her own] “Thank you Sophia. I need to
go talk to them.”
Sophia: “Fine, but I’ll need an answer. I’m not going to wait for you forever.”
*If you want to see the scene or even the entire episode, go to YouTube and enter in ‘the
golden girls, sisters of the bride’; the scene is part 3/3 about 2 minutes in.
That one line, “everyone wants someone to grow old with, and shouldn’t everyone have that chance?” hits it right on the head. ‘Marriage’ is simply a term, bonding two people for life. What exactly is ‘traditional marriage’ anyway? I don’t think there is such a thing. Didn’t it use to be two people fall in love, get married, have kids and continue with their lives? These days, some couples have children before getting married, or get married because of a pregnancy or child. What about immigrants or people who marry so that one individual can stay in the country? How about the elderly who marry for companionship? Are those ‘traditional’? I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with these scenarios, but I doubt they are what would be called ‘traditional’.
On November 4, I got to experience history as Barrack Obama became the first black president of the United States. But with that huge step forward, we also took a huge step back by treating homosexuals as second-class citizens. We had the civil rights movement in the 1960s; it’s now time for the gay rights movement.
As I tuned in to other news, waiting for the propositions, I got to hear what both sides had to say. One particular statement that was said from individuals from the ‘Yes on Prop 8’ side stuck in my head: “I’m voting this way for my children.”
That really stuck in my head, particularly because I am currently studying early childhood education. Children still are learning about everything that this world has, so what happens if they learn that two people of the same gender can be committed to each other? Will it turn them gay? They already see violence and anger; how about a little more love instead of hate?
As I pondered this, I remembered a particular children’s book that I learned about in one of my classes, Literature in Early Childhood Education (ECE). This class opened my eyes to the kind topics I never thought would be introduced in a child’s book. And they were written in a way that children could comprehend and learn from. Topics such as death, anatomy, religion, culture and family have been approached in a great way for children.
I proceeded to the bookstore, found the book and sat down to read it. The title of the book is Heather has Two Mommies, by Lesléa Newman, who herself, is Jewish lesbian. It points out that every family is different; that could not be more truthful today. There are children being raised by fathers, mothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, foster families, even siblings. This is a wonderful book, and I highly recommend it.
Before the election, I had picked up a newsletter, “Children’s Advocate”, published by Action Alliance for Children. In it, there were “Five Measures that would Affect Kids”, which gave a clear explanation on the propositions and showed the views of both supporters and opponents. For Proposition 8, this is what was shown:
Supporters
“For the well-being of children and of society, we must not allow the creation of government-imposed counterfeit marriage”, says the Family Research Council.
-Research shows that children do best when raised by their biological mother and father and when their parents are in a lifelong marriage.
-Children should not be guinea pigs for social experiments in redefining marriage.
Opponents
“(This measure would) put many families (headed by same-sex couples) at risk for emotional and financial harm, and present them as second-class citizens,” says Lambda Legal.
-Parents and their children should not be discriminated against.
-Same-sex couples should have legal protections and rights like any other couples.
-This measure would harm children by making it more likely that same-sex parents would lose custody, visitation rights, and the ability [to] adopt children.
I cringed when I read ‘government-imposed marriage’ and scoffed at ‘children do best when raised by their biological mother and father and when their parents are in a lifelong marriage’. Personally, I believe that children do well when they are surrounded by loving family, a good community and have good morals and values. There are children raised by single parents and adoptive parents who turn out wonderfully. And if they don’t believe that, look at our new president-elect, Barack Obama, who was raised by his mother and grandparents.
The opinion edition page in the L.A. Times pointed out several interesting points. It used to be that interracial marriages were not allowed. And I had forgotten that 4 years ago, it was 61% against gay marriage; this year, it was 52%.
The issue of gay marriage will be tossed back and forth for a long time. I just hope that, in my lifetime, I am able to see that there is more love and understanding in this world instead of hate.