Okay, I thought I would be done with the whole Prop 8 thing. I said my piece and let people know where I stand and how disheartened I am that certain factions of the gay/lesbian community have chosen to deal with their loss with hate, threats and persecution of those who disagree with them. In light of the fact that recent protests have become more violent in nature and that state and national leaders are allowing the persecution to take place without much interference, I feel the issue needs to be addressed again. Then I'll be done. I won't post about it again. (Maybe. We'll see.)
Here's the thing. I have friends who are gay. I love them dearly. They love me. We can talk about these issues, on depth, without threatening harm, without screaming profanity, without the use of violence. Yes, we disagree about parts of this issue. Sometimes we even get frustrated with each other. What we do NOT do is cross the line and belittle the other side's beliefs. We do NOT disrespect each other by asking for tolerance and understanding, but then not be willing to extend that same tolerance when our points are not readily accepted. In other words, because we love each other as friends, we work through the issues with reason, patience and a hope that maybe we can find a middle ground.
One of the gay community's most visible members, Elton John, seems to get it! Some of these protesters need to take a page from Elton's playbook regarding this whole issue.
Here's what he said while speaking of his own relationship with his partner in a USA Today interview:
Elton gets it. In fact, the week of November 10th found Elton participated in a benefit event with Gladys Knight, a Mormon and world renowned singing artist. No animosity, no yelling, no threats! And we all know Elton kinda has a temper. Seriously folks, if these two can work together, why not everyone else? Can't we all just get along?
Nobody wants to stop homosexuals from having relationships. States now recognize civil unions and domestic partnerships and offer equal rights to those unions as they do for married couples. The issue is not having those relationships forced into the religious spheres that have opposing beliefs regarding the moral ramifications of homosexuality. Gays want the right to have recognized relationships, religious people want the right to practice their religion without the threat of lawsuits forcing alternative lifestyles into their core set of beliefs. Is this really about tolerance and equal rights? 'Cause if it is, the Gay community already has both of those.
And if it's really about protesting those who helped this ballot initiative pass, then here are some numbers that the gay community needs to look at to put things in perspective:
Total Population of California = 36,000,000
Approximate number of Catholics in California = 10,500,000 (29%)
Approximate number of Protestants in California = 10,000,000 (27%)
Approximate number of Muslims in California = 1,340,000 (3.7%)
Approximate number of Jews in California = 1,044,000 (2.9%)
Approximate number of Latter-Day Saints in California = 761,000 (2.1%)
Total number of voters in 2008 = 12,000,000
Prop 8 passed by 523,431 votes. Out of 761,000 there are probably about 250,000 LDS voters . Even if every single eligible LDS voter had not voted for this measure it would still have passed. It would not have passed without the black vote. Exit polls showed 70% of all black voters supported proposition 8. There are 2,260,000 black folks in California. Proposition 8 most certainly would not have passed without these good people.
Are there any gays/lesbians protesting at black churches? There are nearly twice as many Muslims as Latter-Day Saints in the Golden State and they are most definitely against homosexual marriage. Where are the protests at their mosques? Any protests at Synagogues? How about Protestant chapels? Obviously religious bigotry is alive and well in the United States. Particularly in California. There is no rational reason to single out LDS supporters of this proposition other than the gay community needs a scapegoat and they perceive the LDS people as being weak. If the tables were turned and the LDS community was holding protests and defacing property, charges would be filed and church members/protesters would be arrested.
I am shocked and dismayed that the leaders of No on Prop 8, as well as other Gay Rights leaders have not come out and condemned the actions of the most radical of their groups, asking for calmer heads to prevail and calling for more peaceful protests.
I am disheartened that Governor Schwarzenegger has not done more to protect the citizens and institutions of his state that are under attack. The fact that he was against Prop 8 (which by the way is contrary to his past position that marriage is between man and a woman) does not exempt him or the leaders of various cities where these crimes are taking place from the responsibility of protecting the citizens under their stewardship. The truth is, if this were any other race or religion being attacked, these crimes against the LDS Church (there are a few other churches of different denominations where protests have been held, but no evidence of vandalism has been noted in comparison to evidence supporting acts against LDS institutions) and the Temples where they worship would be called hate crimes and would be prosecuted as such. Where are the leaders in the State of California? Why is no one stepping up to condemn and prosecute these acts of vandalism? I am ashamed of California's leaders and their lack of willingness or courage to step up and do the right thing in offering protection to businesses and religious institutions that are being unfairly targeted. I hope each one of you who agrees will take the time to write to California's leaders, including Arnold(click on Arnold for link to his site to email him). Tell them we expect them to represent and protect ALL of their constituents, regardless of religion or sexual orientation by condemning acts of violence against those who contributed funds to help Prop 8 pass and by prosecuting perpetrators of vandalism and violence related to these protests. What happened to equal protection under the law?
And more to the point...why are we here in the first place? For a group of nurturer/caretakers, the gay community has taken a pretty hostile position on the whole issue. Walk your talk, folks. Show us the caring side you profess to have and work to deal with the issue without all of the drama. It doesn't become you.
And that's all I have to say about that.
Here's the thing. I have friends who are gay. I love them dearly. They love me. We can talk about these issues, on depth, without threatening harm, without screaming profanity, without the use of violence. Yes, we disagree about parts of this issue. Sometimes we even get frustrated with each other. What we do NOT do is cross the line and belittle the other side's beliefs. We do NOT disrespect each other by asking for tolerance and understanding, but then not be willing to extend that same tolerance when our points are not readily accepted. In other words, because we love each other as friends, we work through the issues with reason, patience and a hope that maybe we can find a middle ground.
One of the gay community's most visible members, Elton John, seems to get it! Some of these protesters need to take a page from Elton's playbook regarding this whole issue.
Here's what he said while speaking of his own relationship with his partner in a USA Today interview:
"We're not married. Let's get that right. We have a civil partnership. What is
wrong with Proposition 8 is that they went for marriage. Marriage is going to
put a lot of people off, the word marriage."
He goes on to say, "I don't want to be married. I'm very happy with a civil partnership. If gay people want to get married, or get together, they should have a civil partnership," John says. "The word 'marriage,' I think, puts a lot of people off...You get the same equal rights that we do when we have a civil partnership. Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships."
Elton gets it. In fact, the week of November 10th found Elton participated in a benefit event with Gladys Knight, a Mormon and world renowned singing artist. No animosity, no yelling, no threats! And we all know Elton kinda has a temper. Seriously folks, if these two can work together, why not everyone else? Can't we all just get along?Nobody wants to stop homosexuals from having relationships. States now recognize civil unions and domestic partnerships and offer equal rights to those unions as they do for married couples. The issue is not having those relationships forced into the religious spheres that have opposing beliefs regarding the moral ramifications of homosexuality. Gays want the right to have recognized relationships, religious people want the right to practice their religion without the threat of lawsuits forcing alternative lifestyles into their core set of beliefs. Is this really about tolerance and equal rights? 'Cause if it is, the Gay community already has both of those.
And if it's really about protesting those who helped this ballot initiative pass, then here are some numbers that the gay community needs to look at to put things in perspective:
Total Population of California = 36,000,000
Approximate number of Catholics in California = 10,500,000 (29%)
Approximate number of Protestants in California = 10,000,000 (27%)
Approximate number of Muslims in California = 1,340,000 (3.7%)
Approximate number of Jews in California = 1,044,000 (2.9%)
Approximate number of Latter-Day Saints in California = 761,000 (2.1%)
Total number of voters in 2008 = 12,000,000
Prop 8 passed by 523,431 votes. Out of 761,000 there are probably about 250,000 LDS voters . Even if every single eligible LDS voter had not voted for this measure it would still have passed. It would not have passed without the black vote. Exit polls showed 70% of all black voters supported proposition 8. There are 2,260,000 black folks in California. Proposition 8 most certainly would not have passed without these good people.
Are there any gays/lesbians protesting at black churches? There are nearly twice as many Muslims as Latter-Day Saints in the Golden State and they are most definitely against homosexual marriage. Where are the protests at their mosques? Any protests at Synagogues? How about Protestant chapels? Obviously religious bigotry is alive and well in the United States. Particularly in California. There is no rational reason to single out LDS supporters of this proposition other than the gay community needs a scapegoat and they perceive the LDS people as being weak. If the tables were turned and the LDS community was holding protests and defacing property, charges would be filed and church members/protesters would be arrested.
I am shocked and dismayed that the leaders of No on Prop 8, as well as other Gay Rights leaders have not come out and condemned the actions of the most radical of their groups, asking for calmer heads to prevail and calling for more peaceful protests.
I am disheartened that Governor Schwarzenegger has not done more to protect the citizens and institutions of his state that are under attack. The fact that he was against Prop 8 (which by the way is contrary to his past position that marriage is between man and a woman) does not exempt him or the leaders of various cities where these crimes are taking place from the responsibility of protecting the citizens under their stewardship. The truth is, if this were any other race or religion being attacked, these crimes against the LDS Church (there are a few other churches of different denominations where protests have been held, but no evidence of vandalism has been noted in comparison to evidence supporting acts against LDS institutions) and the Temples where they worship would be called hate crimes and would be prosecuted as such. Where are the leaders in the State of California? Why is no one stepping up to condemn and prosecute these acts of vandalism? I am ashamed of California's leaders and their lack of willingness or courage to step up and do the right thing in offering protection to businesses and religious institutions that are being unfairly targeted. I hope each one of you who agrees will take the time to write to California's leaders, including Arnold(click on Arnold for link to his site to email him). Tell them we expect them to represent and protect ALL of their constituents, regardless of religion or sexual orientation by condemning acts of violence against those who contributed funds to help Prop 8 pass and by prosecuting perpetrators of vandalism and violence related to these protests. What happened to equal protection under the law?
And more to the point...why are we here in the first place? For a group of nurturer/caretakers, the gay community has taken a pretty hostile position on the whole issue. Walk your talk, folks. Show us the caring side you profess to have and work to deal with the issue without all of the drama. It doesn't become you.
And that's all I have to say about that.
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