As most of you know, Obama will be our next president. I’m quite happy about this because I’m looking forward to change. I don’t like the way things are at the moment, so change will probably be for the better (hopefully).
Despite the prospect for national change, I’m really rather sad to see that locally we will be changing as well. It is no longer legal to marry someone of the same sex in the state of California. This was enacted by proposition 8, which was passed by a close margin. I’m not completely knowledgeable about the proposition or the exact rights of married couples in the state of CA, but I just don’t understand why we have to strip these associations away from same sex couples. It’s about oppression; about preventing others who are different from sharing in a joy that you (as a heterosexual) engage in. More than half of the state feels this way.
While I am mad that this passed, and part of that anger might be against those who supported it, most of what I’m feeling is confusion. I just can’t understand how people can feel this way. I know a good portion of my religious friends feel this way, but just like the pro-life movement, I can’t bring myself to understand it. You can explain the position, but it just feels wrong to strip this freedom from a group because of their sexual preference. I have many gay friends. They aren’t better or worse than me, they are simply different. I have the opportunity to embrace another in marriage, but my friends can’t under current law. Judging people based on race, religion, or sexual preference seems wrong, and I hope this proposition won’t stand indefinitely.