We’ve been driving around with a pro-gay marriage bumper sticker on our car for years. Sometimes we get angry honks about it and sometimes a thumbs-up from fellow drivers. When we put that sticker on our car, we had no idea that gay marriage was even a possibility in California anytime soon. It just seemed important to let our views be known as widely as possible.
So today I am disappointed in the success of Prop 8, even as I am simultaneously thrilled that the margin of its passing was so close that this is sure to never happen again in California–the next time gay marriage is on the ballot, it will succeed. The bigotry is dying even as the rising generation realizes that gay marriage is a natural extension of civil rights.
Of course what is most disappointing is the LDS church‘s involvement in the fight. This is the face of bigotry. As much as I love my Mormon heritage, I feel morally repelled by all of the hate and anti-gay fervor that’s been spewn by LDS activists. And I feel both pleased and relieved to say that I did not raise my hand to sustain the current leadership of the LDS church.
The upshot: I will not stop fighting for equal marriage rights. Yes, we’ve had a major setback in California today, but the battle is far from over. And we will win.
This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation–the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.
~Pres-Elect Obama
As we celebrated the presidential election last night with friends, we made some predictions about how many years it would be before we have a female president, an Asian president, a gay president, a Chicano/Latino president, or an atheist president. We predicted that we’d see at least two of those within the next 20 years. What do you think?
*Caroline chose this same phrase to title her post on Prop 8. If you’re interested in LDS activism, you might want to take a look.
