Not Everything Is As It Seems

Proposition 8 calls for amending the state constitution of California to require a section that states that only marriage between a man and woman is legal and recognized. The way that supporters of Prop 8 put it, it would seem easy to choose a side. You’re either supporting a protection of marriage or you’re against the sanctity of marriage.

But, I dare venture my opinion that it’s not as simple as it may seem. In fact, after listening to both sides of the argument, I believe that Prop 8 isn’t about marriage at all. Arguments against same-sex marriage usually include protecting the interests of children since they are now required to learn about the importance of marriage in school. It would seem that if two men wanted to get married children would have to learn what homosexuality is at an earlier age in school, causing confusion.

It would be confusing for someone to tell their children that gay marriage is the same as heterosexual marriage when they’re trying to raise their children to believe that being gay is not ok. How could it not be ok if the law says they are allowed to get married? This example is just one of many different ways I can present the argument that Prop 8 is not about marriage at all but is fundamentally about homosexuality. Underneath representations of “sanctity” and “tradition”, opponents of gay marriage work to attack and disapprove of sexual identity and legalize discrimination.

The issue of gay marriage as it is being played out in California is, again, not a problem of marriage, but a very important civil rights concern. Putting a ban on gay marriage is specifically designed to legally place a group of people in a class underneath all others. What happens when you deny a class of people an equal right? Dehumanization. Make no mistake about it; regardless of my feelings about any particular type of person, I am against all things that are dehumanizing. This dehumanization creates a culture of people that think it is fine to harass and continue to further demonize a person because they are gay.

As people cast their votes or form their opinions on Prop 8, I can only hope that they place significant recognition on the question of a person’s humanity, and their claim to moral and civil rights.