Los Angeles (ECN) - Amidst the cheering and joy brought on by the results of this years US election there is an undercurrent of sorrow and defeat. It was brought to the attention of America, that the polls showed an overwhelming amount of people for Proposition 8 in California. Therefore, the state has once again placed a ban on same sex marriages. Following suit was Florida and Arizona as well. It’s a set back for the gay and lesbian community.
When California first legalized same sex marriage, there was a rush to the doors of courthouses and city halls alike. Now, all of those marriages are considered null and void. What I don’t understand is why? Coming from someone who is “straight” I do not see my “peers” problem with who people love, choose to be with, or if you want to be crass, sleep with.
The number one argument used in fighting for the passing of Proposition 8 was that the safety of our children would be at risk and redefining marriage would affect the school system. The thing is homosexuality is already in our school system. It is a dirty little secret, but it is there. Officials look at it like it is a seedy underbelly and they try to hide from the fact. They don’t seem to see that this causes contention. It causes the students to look on it as if it were a circus act. Thus, in the end, they turn those who are a part of, or in agreement with the lifestyle, into freak shows. Does this not in itself cause danger? Does this not put both parties at risk? Those who are doing the teasing or who see it as wrong and the others who are on the wrong side of that anger, are they not in danger?
People need to sit down and think about this. Would it not be better to inform our children about what homosexuality is, instead of trying to shelter them from it? This isn’t a disease we are talking about here. This isn’t some perverse faction or cult that we risk losing our children to. Homosexuality isn’t a club. It’s a personal feeling, an individual feeling; it is a life and just another part of loving another person.
No matter how you look at it, we are all equal. We all stem from the same branches in this tree of life and whether you choose to love a man, woman, or even both, you are still a human being. You still carry the God given rights of being treated just like the rest of the mold. All of the rest of us “straights” just need to get over ourselves.
