Proposition 8

In this country, church and state are separate entities. Marriage is not solely a religious ceremony, this is obvious because we are in fact voting on the definition of marriage in November. If marriage were solely a religious ceremony, people would not need to get marriage licenses before getting married. Religious people who think homosexuality is a sin should take into account that not everyone in this country holds this view. These people should think about how they would feel if they were forced to abide by the rules of someone else’s religion. That would be absurd. Morality should not be legislated because it is not our government’s role to protect us from god.

Same sex marriage should be allowed in this country because it is not harmful to anyone. If something is not harmful, why should it be illegal? Many proposition eight proponents have argued that religions can be sued if they do not allow homosexual couples to be married in their buildings. This is a fabricated argument to justify their position. If there has been a successful lawsuit religions would in fact have their freedom of religion infringed upon. However, I have yet to see any such case because such a lawsuit would be unconstitutional.

Proposition 8 proponents have also claimed that schools will teach our children that same-sex marriage is okay. Their “beef” is not that same-sex marriage is legal, it is with the curriculum for enforcing teachers to teach about morality. Morality should be taught in the home, not the school. This rationale is not a reason to ban same-sex marriage, it is gimmick to get same-sex marriage banned.

Passing proposition 8 will infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens. Homosexuals have the right to be happy just like anyone else. They should not be treated any differently under the law. If you do not see this as a civil-rights issue, you are only kidding yourself. Civil unions are not the same as marriage. Separate but equal is not equality at all.