Proposition 8 is winning, or so the Polls say and that is rather disconcerting. I do not understand why so many are willing to oppose equality for Homosexuals, or why they have such a fear of us. We are no different than them. We have our bigots, our idiots who are inconsiderate, who are criminals, who are deceitful, but we have a lot more who are kind, generous, and law abiding citizens. Many desire to openly serve their country, yet are denied that privilege. In many OTHER countries, people are FORCED TO SERVE, yet many Gays want to serve their country, yet somehow that is not taken into account.

Those OPPOSING PROPOSITION 8 NEED YOUR SUPPORT HERE.

I normally don’t put up links for people to donate money, but there has to be a place where we, as a community, draw a line, and say NO MORE HATE, NO MORE BIGOTRY.

Proposition 8 & Opposing Its Passage could be that line, that invisible barrier where we say NO TO THE BIGOTS. Opposing this hateful proposition is about PROTECTING TRUE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. Unlike the supporters, many Gay’s believe people should be allowed to support whatever religion they like, not be forced to accept any narrow definition by a vocal minority.

Opposing Proposition 8 means that people can worship as they please, that Churches can determine whose marriage they will accept or not.  While that is what the supporters claim, truth is, only by OPPOSING PROP 8 can that happen.

Once more, the Religious Right is claiming that we are out to turn every straight kid into a flaming faggot. It is all part of our evil plan to switch all those sweet innocent kids from doing God’s work of procreating the human race, into flamers.  Over in California, the proponents of DENYING GAYS EQUAL RIGHTS is now claiming that somehow by allowing same sex marriage, kindergarten age children will become indoctrinated into the Gay Lifestyle.

“If the gay marriage ruling is not overturned, teachers will be required to teach young children there is no difference between gay marriage and traditional marriage,” according to Prop. 8 supporters, whose ballot arguments became public this week as part of a display at the secretary of state’s office. (source)

To begin with, what is the difference between two men or two woman joining together in Marriage?

Let’s be honest, if two people care enough for each other to want to spend the rest of their earthly life together, what difference does it make if they are the same gender? Then too, if marriage is supposed to be solely about the PROCREATION of mankind, then why can infertile couples become married? Surely if it is based on that requirement same gender marriage wouldn’t fit, but then a large number of heterosexual marriages wouldn’t either.

This isn’t about some secret agenda to get a new crop of gays, for when we get older. After all, what happens when they grow up? It is such a stupid argument, that it should make one laugh, and yet so many seem to buy into the bullshit. Simple truth is that marriage is not just about making babies. It is about a bond between two souls, something the Religious Right should know about.

There isn’t any camps out there where kids as young as 5 are being indoctrinated into Queerness, but there are Bible Camps, where little children are taught to believe with all their might into something they have no concept or perception about. Not much different than similar camps run by fundamentalist Islamists. Yet that is okay, that type of brainwashing is accepted, but granting two men/women the right to share their lives with each other is somehow Indoctrination?

To stand up and say that there is ONE LAW FOR ALL, is somehow about a secret Gay Agenda? About brainwashing kids into becoming Gay? Someone needs to properly toilet train these idiots, because for starters, there is no secret agenda. Secondly, you can’t make someone Gay, either they are born feeling attracted to their own gender, or they aren’t. It is not like a Gay person can change how they feel, so what makes the Religious Right think we can change their little offspring?

Nor is this about God either. This is simply, about HATE.

Only the second state in the Greatest Democracy Ever to make it legal for Gay Men & Woman to marry. In a 4 to 3 decision, the California Supreme’s noted that while there is a civil registry, union in place, it simply is NOT ENOUGH of a guarantee. Kind of says it all, doesn’t it?

But in the justices’ recent 4-3 decision, they stated that domestic partnerships are not a good enough substitute for marriage. (source – CBC News)

Now you just know that the religious right wing nuts will be out in force seeking a Constitutional Ban on same sex marriage, because after all, the Rule of Law doesn’t count in the United States, least not when it comes to pushing their own narrow religious views on the Minorities of the country.

Rather sad that, but in all honesty, how can it be anything but Marriage?

If people want to be kept safe, to have their rights guaranteed, the only safe way is to insure that it can’t be trampled on by future legislation, or that if someone does want to, they’d have to make it universal. Now we know that isn’t going to happen, which is why it really is essential to have it as Marriage.

The California Supreme Court, narrowly, saw it that way too. After all, isn’t the precept, One Law for All?

Three years ago today, a Rabbi married David and myself in a ceremony at our home. She signed a registration book, and we paid $100 to have a license, and it was all made nice and legal. In that time, we have changed, and I think for the better. I don’t know, guess others will have to decide that one, but I feel different. Now I know, a piece of paper really doesn’t change much, or so many claim. I have to disagree, because frankly it has indeed changed us.

To begin with, we are more open with each other, and I think that comes from being more open outside of the home. I think that stupid piece of paper, that makes it legal for us to be together, has helped us to feel more secure with each other, as well as with those around us. I mean Dave kisses me in front of mom now, no hiding it. He calls me dear in front of company that come for dinner and there is no reticence, no reservations. It is all real, unabashed.

And that I think is from that simple piece of paper. I think, deep down, it has given us the security to be at ease with loving each other, with being gay even. It kind of says that no matter what others might think, or how they might object to our way of life, our Government, Our Country, says it is okay, says it is acceptable behavior, and not something to be ashamed of. And that is worth a damn lot, these days.

Call it what you want, but you know, it is damn nice to feel like we didn’t do anything wrong by being in love with each other.

Found out today that a friend of mine is having a ‘health issue‘ but didn’t have any details on exactly what. Now I know, what is so earth shattering about that? Well, on the surface nothing, except that the friend is a Priest in Pope Benedict’s Church. Let me say that this man is one of the nicest I have ever met, he even came up to my Wedding without even knowing me, but came because we had talked, laughed and shared some thoughts online. He didn’t know me, but he came because I asked.

He is one of those rare people who are what they are, and who has such a deep sense of belief, that it is impossible to not like him. And he is gay. Not a practicing gay, like I am, but if you think back to when you first wondered if you were gay, to the way seeing a nice butt in a pair of blue jeans turned you on, and wondered about it, then this is my friend. It isn’t like he dons some secret garb to sneak out to the gay bars, or even thinks about breaking his vows, but he is human. He has thoughts, like anyone else, but even having those thoughts under Pope Benedict are grounds for dismissal.

Just like that, a lifetime’s work, vocation, is placed at jeopardy simply because of the Intolerance, the Exclusion, that Pope Benedict & his Zealots practice. The argument can be made that well, he chose a job that doesn’t want Homosexuals, and to some degree they might have a point, if it wasn’t a Church, a Religion. Frankly Religion claims that it is a fact of nature that man & woman were put on earth to procreate, but at the same time they refuse to give Priests the right to marry.

All of the ancient biblical characters had multiple wives, and yet the Church preaches Monogamy, which is not the natural order of things. It refuses to let Nuns marry when according to their own doctrine, the primary goal of a woman is to reproduce. So for me, the claim of ‘natural order‘ is simply bullshit. It is ‘natural‘ for a man to seek another, as proven by medical science, just as science proved that men of color are no different than Caucasian males. Remember the fire and brimstone of the Southern Preachers supporting Segregation back in the 1950′s?

Religion itself isn’t complicated. Either you believe in a supreme being or you don’t. The rest of it is simply rules and regulations thought up by man, not by any supreme being. God is the author of the Ten Commandments, and no where in the bible does it say GOD spoke about EXCLUDING ANYONE from his Love, his Compassion. And yet my friend has to furtively let his ‘gay‘ friends know he isn’t well. He can’t send us an email directly, for fear that the watchdogs in his parish might not take kindly to their Priest writing to a ‘gaystoryman‘ or such.

Like the Salem Witch Hunts, today’s men of God, the real MEN of GOD, are forced to hide, to live in secret, and be denied the companionship, the friendship, of those who share some of their interests. That is the true tragedy of what the Religious Right have imposed on society today. They have made Religion not about GOD, but about adherence to rules made by MEN, to CONTROL MEN.

The Bible ‘may‘ be about GOD, but it is the ‘recollections‘ of men, it is NOT THE WORD OF GOD HIMSELF. I think religion forgets that, and forgets that it is based on recollections set 2000 years ago. While many quote certain passages, what about the Bible passages they don’t quote? The one’s that tell a different story, a different recollection? What was known then, and now, are worlds apart. The ancient Jewish Rabbi’s knew this, and yet it is still a controversy on whether flicking a switch is making someone work on the sabbath, and many still sit in the dark.

And they really aren’t alone in that darkness, are they Pope Benedict?

I mean you would have expected them to lead it actually. But hey, better late than never as the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce has come out calling for legalizing same sex marriage rights. I mean about bloody time, but then I guess some businessmen just aren’t as smart as they like everyone to believe. Just look at their stand on Illegal Immigration and Outsourcing.

The chamber has endorsed a legal brief by San Francisco-based Levi Strauss and LGBT advocacy group Out and Equal Workplace supporting a lawsuit by same-sex couples in the state. (story source)

It really does amaze me at how so many are opposed to the simple act of providing equal rights to all citizens. It isn’t about making some Priest marry people, it is about gaining the benefits being married gives people. It is about Civil Rights, not Religious ones.