But proposition 8 passing saddens me. This affects people I love - friends, family. This encourages the right to discriminate against them for reasons they cannot control. This teaches my children lessons I vehemently oppose. Proponents for Prop 8 are calling this a moral victory. Because it's amoral to love? Don't tell me you support same-sex couples being allowed to continue having the same liberties they already have, and then in the next say a family unit can only be created by a married man and a woman.
That's not morality.
That's hypocrisy.
That's a distinction I will fight to teach my children until I can't draw breath.
Last night, Alicia asked me why I wanted proposition 8 to fail. I explained to her that it was trying to take rights away from people based on something they could not change. I mentioned how it used to be you could only vote if you were a white male, that women, that non-white people were refused that basic right. Her reaction? She was appalled. In her mind, she can't fathom something so basic - that a person is a person, regardless of their skin, sex, or orientation - could be denied.
I praised her. For understanding what it seems some adults could not.
Today is a day of mixed joy for me. While the country stands on the brink of a new direction, California has taken a step backward. I'm trying to focus on the positive. Eight years ago, gay marriage was banned with a 61% vote. Today, that's down to 52%. Change is coming. And I'll embrace it when it finally arrives.
