Don’t second guess yourself. You know you did all you could do to defeat Proposition 8 which has now eliminated, for the present, the right of same sex couples to marry. And you were right in doing all you could.. By pulling out all the stops to defeat the amendment, you supported the least costly and most straightforward route on our ongoing journey to the ideal of a just society. We know now that this leg of the journey has just begun.
Fortunately, time is on our side – for example:
- In 1883, the US Supreme Court upheld an Alabama ban on interracial marriage
- In 1948, the California Supreme Court overturned a similar California ban
- On August 4, 1961, President Elect Barack Obama was born to a white mother and a black father
- In 1967, the US Supreme Court overturned a Virginia ban and obliterated anti-miscegenation legislation in the US
- In 2000, the Alabama constitutional amendment banning interracial marriage was overturned with a mere 60% majority
- In 2008 The US elected a President who is interracial
So, we recognize it could take a while. Its OK. We, as a people, have time. We, as citizens of California, have time. We, as citizens of the United States, have time. We, as citizens of the world, have time. Even though we, as individuals, may not see the fruits of our effort.
In the meantime,
- Same sex couples where one partner is without US citizenship will continue to be unable to live permanently in the US and, in some cases, will have no country where they may reside together
- Same sex couples will be required to refer to their husbands or wives as partners and may need to interject “life” to communicate, though imperfectly, some sense of their mutual commitment
- Children of same sex couples will continue to wonder why their parents are discriminated against and what it is that society has against them that their legitimacy cannot be recognized
- Same sex couples who have married, in some cases for the 2nd or 3rd time to the same person, each time hoping that the temporary status of the legality of their relationship may be permanent, will wonder about their rights as a couple
- Persons discriminating against lesbians and gays will take heart and be emboldened by the knowledge there is one class of Californians still remaining who it is OK to discriminate against for, as of today, the most fundamental law of California has been altered to identify a unique and superior status reserved only to heterosexuals; literally, homosexuals need not apply for a marriage license.
AND, time is on our side. Plan on a continued struggle:
- If you are gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender, open your hearts and minds to show everyone who you are so that those who would discriminate may not fear you and may recognize exactly whom their discrimination hurts
- If you are a straight ally, be aware that you, too, are a minority in California and be vigilant for opportunities to educate the tyrannous majority
- Every day continue to educate and recruit people to support the repeal of Prop 8
- At every opportunity seek out those who discriminate and educate them regarding the damage they do
- Begin today to support the next ballot measure to repeal Prop 8 and, if necessary, the next ballot measure after that until it is repealed.
For the record, I remain confident that Californians will overturn this amendment to the state constitution when a majority has understood the entire the truth about it. It is now our duty to seek those who do not understand the truth and bring the truth to them.
For, regardless of how you feel about marriage, it is wrong to eliminate the fundamental right of same sex couples to marry just because they are gay or lesbian. Let us recognize the election of Barack Obama as President as a symbol of the hope for change that we need. Take from that symbol the energy to right this wrong that has been written into our state constitution.
Thanks to all of you for taking action and doing all you could do to overcome what remains as the greatest civil rights obstacle in this great country.
REPEAL PROP 8!
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