Yet another No On Prop 8 blog post

If Proposition 8 were about "values," whatever that means, then you should be able to slice and dice the population any way you want and find people on either side of the issue, regardless of whether they're personally harmed or helped by their position.

Example: I have met many women who are pro-life. They've traded one value (personal choice) in favor of another (sanctity of life).

Example: I'm in favor of women having voting rights, even though I'm a man.

Example: There are Silicon Valley zillionaires who are voting for Obama. If Obama is elected, they will pay more in income and capital gains tax as a result.

But are there actually any gay people who are in favor of Prop 8? I imagine not, though I'd be interested to hear the viewpoint of any who are. And if this (entirely unscientific) supposition is correct, then can it really be that Proposition 8 is about societal values? Or is it just about one group discriminating against another group?

Suppose it really is about values. Let's figure out which value it is. Is the value about preservation of the institution of marriage? I'm sure plenty of gay people agree with that value; that's why they want to get married.

Is the value about strengthening nuclear families? Again, gay people who want to get married would be in favor of this value.

Is the value about preserving tradition? Sure. Marriage is a very traditional institution in which gay people would like to participate.

So what's left?

Is it because only men and women together can bear children? If that's the case, then childless heterosexual couples are deviant unless they can prove to the government that they're trying. If that's the case, then adoption is wrong. If that's the case, then it should be illegal for post-menopausal women to marry. The value can't be about procreation.

Is it because marriage has traditionally been only between a man and a woman? Traditionally black men were lynched for even courting white women. Traditionally it was illegal for an Asiatic person to marry a Caucasian person, and before that in the United States it was illegal for Asian and Native American people to marry at all. Traditionally slaves in the U.S. could not marry. In just the last 20 years it was established that people in United States prisons could marry; before that, not all could. Marriage has certainly changed over the years as society has evolved.

Anything else?

Maybe because if gay people could get married, then they could adopt children and raise them in a weird environment? If that's the case, then every person appearing on Cops should be immediately sterilized. Please don't get the government involved in deciding what is and what isn't a "normal" environment for kids; we're fighting enough Wars On Things That Aren't Countries already.

Religion? What if I don't believe in your God? Do I still have to live by your rules? Remember why we left England; don't start down that road.

Is the value that gays are icky people? Is is that they're icky people who do icky things and who think about even ickier things in their cold, black hearts?

That's not a value. That's a moral judgment. And it goes by another name: hatred.

Please vote no on Proposition 8.