Prop 8 (is) for dummies

Prop 8 (is) for dummies

Posted on March 17th, 2009 by Jaclyn Roth

Personally, I don’t have an overwhelming desire to get married. It’s just not something I feel the need for in my life. I have a girlfriend, a beautiful daughter, a home that we own together, cars, shared bank accounts — getting married at this point feels pointless to me. I don’t subscribe to the notion that you meet, you date, you marry, you have kids — and that’s the way it is — that’s the natural order of things. It doesn’t seem to be a very sound plan and when you consider the divorce rate, it kind of makes me wonder why in this day and age, that formula isn’t challenged more. After all, marriage was invented by people who were lucky enough to make it to thirty without being eaten by dinosaurs. And now it’s being guarded by rednecks like yourself, under the misguided notion that your moral ground is higher than mine. It’s ironic that you are fighting to protect something you’re incredibly bad at. It’s laughable.

Your movement stems from fear and ignorance. People blame the Mormons and black people that came out to vote for Barack, for solidifying the passage of Prop 8. The reality is that we’re all to blame. It’s human nature to keep people down, to segregate and to enforce an outdated and irresponsible class system. Well, I don’t want your marriage. I don’t want your divorce, your paperwork, your alimony, division of assets. You can keep it. I will take my rights back, though. We can make a deal; you give gays their rights back, and they’ll show you how to make relationships last.

Sylvia Plath said she never wanted to get married. The last thing she wanted was infinite security and to be the place an arrow shoots off from. She wanted to be the arrow. My hope is that her arrow lands in your ass.

To: My friends that stand strong against Prop 8

There’s this nifty little website out there called SFGate.com. You can search their database to see who has contributed money to the campaigns supporting and opposing California’s Proposition 8. Let’s say you live in NY, you can plug in NY on the drop-down menu and then click on “Supports Prop. 8″ and see who in your neighborhood has pledged money to support this insidious cause. It’s really cool. I know that there are a lot of people out there that feel strongly about this issue but don’t actively do anything to make a difference. I know because I’m one of those people. I’m not one to march, publicly protest or even openly discuss my views on politics. I read about it and I’m interested in it of course, but I’m not involved in any organizations that are getting out there and actually doing something about it. Going on to this site and black listing companies that have donated money in support of Prop 8 is a way that you can actively and quietly make a statement. Not all protest needs to be made in a public arena. A very strong message can be sent in the quietest of ways.