ELECTION: Prop. 8 diverts from real issues
Evonne Ermey
Issue date: 10/21/08 Section: Opinion
STATE OF AFFAIRS
By Evonne Ermey
When the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same sex marriage back in May, I was proud. I was proud to live in such a progressive state, one that valued and protected an individual's right to life, liberty and most importantly their right to pursue happiness. It felt like a day of celebration, but now, only a couple of months later, it seems the honeymoon is over.
With Proposition 8 on the ballot this November 4, there are still a great many nay-sayers out there intent on keeping the status quo.
It's no surprise that there should be this kind of backlash against the Supreme Court ruling; after all, it was a decision that overturned an amendment to the California constitution, an amendment voted on and approved by a majority of California voters.
Does this mean that the majority of Californians do not think that same sex couples should be allowed to marry? I don't think so.
Who are these voters? When barely half of the American population can pull themselves off of their armchairs to vote in the presidential election, how many do you think actually mustered up the energy to vote in the 2000 primaries? Who are these politically motivated people?
According to the U.S. census bureau, older people are significantly more likely to vote than younger people, married people are more likely to vote than single, and white people are more likely to vote than any minority.
I don't mean to sound trite, but I don't think that the majority vote of old, white, married people accurately reflects the way that I, or even most Californians, feel about the gay marriage issue.
I think that when asked what, fundamentally, marriage is about the majority of people would say love. When I was a kid and I asked my parents what marriage was, they said, "It's what happens when two people love each other."
As far as what teachers might have told me about it, I don't recall any crash course on marriage in either my kindergarten or grade school years.
By Evonne Ermey
When the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same sex marriage back in May, I was proud. I was proud to live in such a progressive state, one that valued and protected an individual's right to life, liberty and most importantly their right to pursue happiness. It felt like a day of celebration, but now, only a couple of months later, it seems the honeymoon is over.
With Proposition 8 on the ballot this November 4, there are still a great many nay-sayers out there intent on keeping the status quo.
It's no surprise that there should be this kind of backlash against the Supreme Court ruling; after all, it was a decision that overturned an amendment to the California constitution, an amendment voted on and approved by a majority of California voters.
Does this mean that the majority of Californians do not think that same sex couples should be allowed to marry? I don't think so.
Who are these voters? When barely half of the American population can pull themselves off of their armchairs to vote in the presidential election, how many do you think actually mustered up the energy to vote in the 2000 primaries? Who are these politically motivated people?
According to the U.S. census bureau, older people are significantly more likely to vote than younger people, married people are more likely to vote than single, and white people are more likely to vote than any minority.
I don't mean to sound trite, but I don't think that the majority vote of old, white, married people accurately reflects the way that I, or even most Californians, feel about the gay marriage issue.
I think that when asked what, fundamentally, marriage is about the majority of people would say love. When I was a kid and I asked my parents what marriage was, they said, "It's what happens when two people love each other."
As far as what teachers might have told me about it, I don't recall any crash course on marriage in either my kindergarten or grade school years.
Be the first to comment on this story