Proposition 8

Finally a clear sunny day in "sunny California".  Almost the entire time i have been here the weather has been horrible.  Every morning i awake to fog that fails to burn off, temperatures in the mid to high 60's, and a chill that means a sweater has to be part of one's daily wardrobe.
i took my mom for a long drive along the southern California coast yesterday so we could both enjoy the sunny weather.  When we got back two men were getting out of a Van with a sign that said "We Won" and a big cartoonish looking paper mache head that one of them put on.  i wondered what they won and soon found out when i got on line and saw the ruling by Judge Vaughn Walker in San Francisco.

Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California constitution the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same sex couples. Because California has no interest in discriminating against gay men and lesbians, and because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis, the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.

The gay and lesbian center is just below my mom's apartment and it was ablaze with celebration.  Where two days before they had been handing out food, yesterday they were ecstatic.  The mayor and other legislators made an appearance to speak before the young, the old, the infirm and the disenfranchised.  Yesterday, the possibility to be treated equally got closer to reality.

i of course dashed over when i saw the parade.  i wanted to give my support and was fortunate to meet two immaculately groomed men who had gotten married to each other after 20 years of living together.  One was holding a photo of their wedding day which had occurred two years ago when California passed the marriage law.  i asked them if after Prop. 8 passed did it affect the legality of their marriage.  They said no, that they were a unique group of 18,000 couples whose marriage was legal even with the Proposition.  They were jubilant about the ruling and questioned why anyone would think their marriage could threaten someone elses.

i asked if anyone had ever proven that a same sex marriage had made a heterosexual marriage any less valuable.  They both laughed and said that was the million dollar question that no one could answer.

i took the picture behind the fence because the wall is still up for many people. This ruling is the beginning of a long, long battle.  As more people focus on equality and not sex maybe these men and women who turned out yesterday will be given the rights they deserve.