Sorry Jeremiah
Arthur & I were engaged before California’s Supreme Court ruled that gays could be married. We planned on having a DPCC (“Domestic Partnership Commitment Ceremony”). We obviously opted for a real marriage license when it became an option. The passage of Proposition 8, an amendment to California’s Constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and woman, will void my marriage. There are still 4 million absentee ballots yet to be counted, but it’s not looking good.
An old church acquaintance from Virginia decided to rub salt in my wound this morning:
Sorry Jeremiah, a marriage according to the Bible, which what this nation was founded upon, is only between a man and a woman.
I thought that I would share my response:
The bible has been used to justify keeping women from equality, blacks from basic rights, blacks from equal rights, and now eliminating gay marriage. This nation was not founded on the bible. This nation was founded on individual freedom, from kings and popes and aristocracy.
The government cannot take a “moral” stand when no harm is being done. Giving me and my husband the same medical, tax, adoption, inheritance, and other rights that you enjoy with your wife harms no one. I hope those who believe in the bible can also believe that government should not have the power to pick and choose who gets certain rights.
Posted on Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 at 11:28.
I’m going to fly to Virginia and punch that guy in the face. What an asshole.
Sorry to hear Jeremiah! I too am a gay man in the LA area and have been following you on Twitter for a while. It really hurts me that there are so many people out there who are still so ignorant about these sorts of things. The fact that they feel they should be PUSHING their beliefs and values on the rest of us is just insane.
Having a gay couple marry is not harming anyone and the Government should not be a part of our personal lives like that. Overturning Prop 8 is going to be very difficult, but I think that we’ll see the right to get married again soon in our lifetime!
Good luck to you and Arthur!
bigots who claim the country was founded on the Bible only display their complete ignorance of US history.
Religious bigots demonstrate their complete lack of understanding the truth and purpose of Christ.
“The government cannot take a “moral” stand when no harm is being done. Giving me and my husband the same medical, tax, adoption, inheritance, and other rights that you enjoy with your wife harms no one. I hope those who believe in the bible can also believe that government should not have the power to pick and choose who gets certain rights.”
That is why I proudly voted NO. America is not, and should not be, a theocracy. And as long as we’re not a theocracy, we can’t go around stripping people of their rights based on how we read their morality. It is simply not right.
I am tired of Christians trying to push their agenda on everybody else.
I am tired of Christians falsely claiming that America is a “Christian nation”
I am tired of Christians thinking they can marginalize others simply because they see them as sinners.
I am tired of Christians acting so unlike Christ.
I believe firmly in personal liberty, equality, and love. I am confident that homosexuality is neither unnatural, chosen, nor wrong. I am disciple of Christ, who is too often ashamed to call himself a “Christian” because of people like your friend.
And I am a Christian who will fight to the death to keep America from becoming a “Christian nation.”
I cannot believe that a state’s constitution will ignore equal rights that are guaranteed to everyone by our U.S. Constitution.
Jeremiah, I wish you and Arthur the best. Hopefully there will sometime soon be a correction to California’s Constitution.