Home › Opinion › Pulse
Stand up for love by voting no on Prop. 8
STORY TOOLS 
More from PulseLast month, I had a chance to attend my first same-sex wedding. I, along with Ventura County dignitaries, straight couples and friends and family, attended the wedding of two local women, Connie and Rita, who have been together more than 27 years. Connie's lovely daughters accompanied them to the altar. It was truly moving to witness two older women who have been together for decades, have provided for their family, worked hard and paid their taxes, contributed to their community in countless ways suddenly move from second-class to first-class citizens right before our eyes.
After waiting nearly a lifetime, they were finally granted equality under the laws of the state of California.
On Nov. 4, Californians will be asked to vote on Proposition 8, which changes the California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry. By voting yes, you would abolish marriage for same-sex couples. By voting no, you will confirm that people like my friends who married after 27 years together, will continue to be treated fairly under the law.
I know that some still feel uncomfortable with the idea of same-sex marriage. But, regardless of how you feel about this issue on a personal level, I urge you to remember how important the California Constitution is to guaranteeing fundamental rights. To amend the California Constitution and enshrine discrimination into it, as Proposition 8 will do, is against the founding principles of this state and nation.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and others who oppose Proposition 8, understand that this is about singling out some people for second-class status.
While Proposition 8 asks us to weigh in on whether we believe in fairness and equality for all Californians, it also gives us the opportunity to ask ourselves what kind of community we want to build.
I have recently been reminded of Martin Luther King Jr.'s notion of the "beloved community." He envisioned a community in which people would find themselves existing in an integrated society of sisters and brothers committed to peace and justice, and redeemed through the transformative power of love.
This beloved community would respect the rights of those who are different from us and would work to reconcile our differences. As King said during the civil rights struggle: "The end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the Beloved Community." Surely we are faced with another opportunity to explore the meaning of building this more perfect union.
Rather than having a divisive argument that pits us against each other, now is the opportunity for us to get to know one another with the spirit of reconciliation in our hearts.
Those of us who are gay or lesbian can talk to our neighbors, the people in our places of worship, our family and co-workers, to let them know how important it is to us that we be treated with fairness, if not love. Those of us who know someone gay or lesbian can let them know that we think their equality matters, that we respect them and believe they deserve the same rights as we enjoy. By having these conversations, we can inch closer to creating a beloved community.
The fact is, our children will benefit by the expression of more love and compassion, and the affirmation of equal treatment for our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers and our family members. We will all benefit when we strive to welcome families like Connie and Rita's that form outside the traditional model. Please stand up for fairness and equality. Stand up for love.
Vow to vote no on Proposition 8.
— Karin Quimby lives in Ojai.
Posted by Scapegoat on October 5, 2008 at 8:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's the school agenda thing that kills it for me. Sorry, voting YES.
Posted by John61608 on October 5, 2008 at 8:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I vow to vote no.
And check into the supposed 'school agenda', Scapegoat. There is no such thing. I have never been taught about any kind of marriage in any capacity through any grade level right to the present today. The contradictory argument is something of recent invention, by some seeking to scare otherwise good-natured people into voting for a discriminatory proposition. If you don't believe me, research it yourself. Be informed, not misled.
-John
Posted by Scapegoat on October 5, 2008 at 9:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why is the state trying to honor Harvey Milk? There was nothing honorable about Milk. Yet there are elements in California government who want him honored. I am informed and I know where there is going. I am voting yes. I am voting yes to remember young, very young, Larry King who was used by the queer movement to prove a point.
Shameful. That whole sick movement is shameful. Stop it before it spreads further into our elementary school system.
Posted by John61608 on October 6, 2008 at 5:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If you are unable to pay attention to anything just said to you, just make sure you get notes from a classmate.
- John
Posted by buysjd on October 6, 2008 at 9:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
John, The following is a link to a video you might find informative. It is a video of an interview with a family in Massachusetts, where gay marriage is legal.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/p...
If you choose not to watch it, you will remain uneducated to the school indoctrination that will happen. This video shows how parents respond to their 5 year old son being indoctrinated in kindergarten with same sex marriage being equal to traditional marriage. You can’t argue with FACTS John! It will happen unless action is taken NOW!!!!
Here are some other examples of how religions and religious people are being persecuted and STRIPPED of their religious freedoms because of this issue.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/st...
VOTE YES ON PROP 8!
Posted by KarlCalling on October 6, 2008 at 1:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm going to go with John on this one.
And the first video you link to, buys, seems very much like a propaganda-ish piece. If your not sure what I'm talking about, think Fox News and Fahrenheit 911(I'm an equal opportunity offender), both of which show incredibly biased information in place of real fact. Find something true, and I will get interested.
Posted by KarlCalling on October 6, 2008 at 2 p.m. (Suggest removal)
By the by, your second link is closer to the truth than the first, but then that's not saying much. There will be some law suits, everyone is still figuring this thing out. And you know what? I think the state should allow the church to marry whomever they like, as long as the church remembers to not throw a fit when the state marries whomever it likes. Remember, you can't have both.
Posted by bleshon on October 8, 2008 at 9:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Lassen's Market has given oaround $30,000 to the yes on 8 campaign. Read more about it and decide how if you want to let David Lassen know about how you feel regarding enshrining bigotry into the California State Constitution. http://politicalwatchcentralcoast.org...
Posted by preschoolmomma on October 9, 2008 at 11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yes on 8!
Shop at Lassens!
They're both great!
Posted by MrMAB on October 17, 2008 at 9:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The levels of ignorance and misinformation some people are showing is ridiculous! Here’s what’s fiction and what’s fact:
Fiction: Teaching children about same-sex marriage will happen here unless we pass Prop 8.
Fact: Not one word in Prop 8 mentions education, and no child can be forced, against the will of their parents, to be taught anything about health and family issues at school. California law prohibits it, and the Yes on 8 campaign knows they are lying. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley has already ruled that this claim by Prop 8 proponents is “false and misleading.”
Fiction: Churches could lose their tax-exemption status.
Fact: Nothing in Prop 8 would force churches to do anything. In fact, the court decision regarding marriage specifically says “no religion will be required to change its religious policies or practices with regard to same-sex couples, and no religious officiant will be required to solemnize a marriage in contravention of his or her religious beliefs.”
Fiction: A Massachusetts case about a parent's objection to the school curriculum will happen here.
Fact: Unlike Massachusetts, California gives parents an absolute right to remove their kids and opt-out of teaching on health and family instruction they don't agree with. The opponents know that California law already covers this and Prop 8 won't affect it, so they bring up an irrelevant case in Massachusetts.
Fiction: Four Activist Judges in San Francisco…
Fact: Prop 8 is not about courts and judges, it's about eliminating a fundamental right. Judges didn't grant the right, the constitution guarantees the right. Proponents of Prop 8 use an outdated and stale argument that judges aren't supposed to protect rights and freedoms. This campaign is about whether Californians, right now, in 2008 are willing to amend the constitution for the sole purpose of eliminating a fundamental right for one group of citizens.
Fiction: People can be sued over personal beliefs.
Fact: California’s laws already prohibit discrimination against anyone based on race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. This has nothing to do with marriage.
Fiction: Pepperdine University supports the Yes on 8 campaign.
Fact: The university has publicly disassociated itself from Professor Richard Peterson of Pepperdine University, who is featured in the ad, and has asked to not be identified in the Yes on 8 advertisements.
Fiction: Unless Prop 8 passes, CA parents won't have the right to object to what their children are taught in school.
Fact: California law clearly gives parents and guardians broad authority to remove their children from any health instruction if it conflicts with their religious beliefs or moral convictions.
Regardless of how you feel about the issue, we should not eliminate fundamental rights for ANY Californians. Please vote NO on Prop 8.
Posted by ironwoman on October 18, 2008 at 1:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I am voting for love.....yes on 8
Posted by shira_aliza on October 18, 2008 at 6:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
VeritasLuxMea, it's funny you should mention Google Image Search. When I search for "wife" with images turned on, the first few images I get are pretty inappropriate - and that's with the "moderate safe-search" enabled. Come to think of it, if I type in "American" under the filtered image search, the first few images are also pretty inappropriate.
The real fun starts if you take off the moderate safe search. If you leave your searches unfiltered, you get some extremely disgusting pictures by searching for "straight." And "heterosexual." And "women," for that matter. Let's just say I strongly suggest you leave the filter on.
Google Images is hardly a reliable determinant for whether you should treat citizens equally. It's like suggesting that we should watch racial-stereotyping fetish porn to decide whether black men or Asian women should have the same rights as white people.
(Requires free registration.)
Article discussions on this site are to support community debates of issues related to our stories and editorials.
Discussions should not stray from the subject of the story or editorial.
We do not allow the following:
We reserve the right to delete threads and/or ban users for these or other reasons we deem necessary.
Opinions are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.