Prop Eight

When California "approved" of gay marriage back in May, I thought our country was finally moving forward. True, California is known as a liberal state. But I thought that other states would maybe follow its lead and propose similar laws.I had always struggled with how to state my opinion on same-sex marriage. I've been raised Catholic and attended a Catholic school for twelve years. Those years of education had me understanding marriage as a religious sacrament, the way that the Church recognized the union between a man and a woman. I saw a civil union, marriage recognized by the state, equivalent to actual marriage. It wasn't until I got to Michigan State that my thinking was challenged. I remmeber the first time the issue came up two years ago. My friend conversationally asked what we thought of gay marriage. Without thinking twice, I said that I supported gay couples being together, but I wasn't sure if I agreed with actual marriage. My friend's mouth dropped wide open and I immediately became embarrassed and never brought the subject up again.I can't even pin-point when my change occurred, but sometime in these last couple years I began to see things differently. Although my religoius values are still as strong as they were before MSU, I feel like I've become more open and begun to think for myself.Proposition 8 is a huge step backwards. As they stated in the State News, it is an embarrassment to our country to have proposition 8 pass on the same day that we elect our first African American president. If two men are in love as much as a heterosexual couple, why shouldn't they be proud and be able to call that person their husband? Marriage should not be defined as a noun as much as a verb. Currently, marriage means that you are committed to that person for the rest of your life, in sickness and health. Why does your sexual preference matter? The goal of marriage is the same for all people, no matter your sexuality. I think it's difficult to tell someone that their love doesn't matter, their relationship doesn't count, and their choice to spend the rest of their life with that person isn't as important as a man and woman choosing to do the same.Seeing proposition 8 pass was disheartening enough; to read, however, that some states like Arkansas even banned gay couples from adopting was devastating. A loving family is a loving family, despite the layout. People argue that those children may turn out "funny" because they are being raised by homosexual parents. To me, that is such a closed-minded statement. Research has shown, number one, that homosexuality may be a disposition that you are born with. Therefore, being raised in a homosexually-headed house would not make a different. Number two, is your child being gay really that awful of a thing? Think of what you are saying. If anything, the child would benefit from being raised in a diverse household, and come to be more tolerant towards "differences".When it comes down to it, marriage has about a 50-50 chance of lasting. People know this and still choose to get into a relationship, hoping it ends in union. Shouldn't everyone get that chance? Shouldn't everyone be able to see if they can find that special something?