No on Proposition 8: Gay Marriage Hurts No One

If you scroll down on this page, you will come across several Google AdSense ads. I have no idea what they say, because they are placed by Google, which scans key words and phrases on my blog, and plugs in ads accordingly. That's why you might find an anti-Barack Obama ad right here on a pro-Obama site.

So, it was not surprising to me to find "Say Yes on Proposition 8" ads on progressive blogs in the last few days. Prop. 8 is the California measure to undo legal same-sex marriage. It does not prevent gays from marrying, it stops them from continuing to do so. Not enough attention has been paid to the fact that in California, this issue is no longer hypothetical. Passing Prop. 8 would take away something that people already have. This does not "protect" marriage, it will destroy marriages that already exist.

I got married to The Other Half in Palm Springs in June. We had a blast out in California, and spent a lot of money there. We had a reception back here in Las Vegas, attended by friends and family. We've been treated no differently than any other married couple. Our marriage has not affected any other marriage on our street, our city, our state, or our country. The sky did not fall. All the warnings about gay marriage have come to naught.

But the arguments for "Yes on 8" pretend that the ill effects of same-sex marriage are yet to come. Apparently we are still in a (pun intended) honeymoon phase where the destruction of traditional marriage and family hasn't happened yet--but, oh mercy, it will!

The worst part of the "Yes on 8" drive, is the slogan on their web site: "Restoring Marriage and Protecting California Children." I mean, really, how dare they? What the hell does this measure have to do with protecting children? From what? As far as I know, nobody is advocating marrying children, or forcing them to attend a same-sex marriage. . .how exactly does voting yes on 8 protect anything? It's already been shown that nothing has been hurt by the thousands of same-sex marriages that have already happened.

And you know what, you "Yes" voters out there? California's economy is--like much of the country--in the shitter. Same-sex marriages are bringing gobs of money to your state. Money that could go to Massachusetts, and now Connecticut. Not only will California miss out on the money if Proposition 8 passes, but I intend to lead a movement for all of us evil gays who have already married to get our money back. You heard me. If you take my marriage away, I want my money back. All of my money back. Bare minimum, that is $70 for the license and $100 for the ceremony at city hall. For every couple. It's going to add up.

The Yes on 8 movement is backed by the Mormon church, in conjunction with some evangelical groups--strange bedfellows in any other scenario. It somehow doesn't seem right to me that religion should be allowed to drive public policy. That is exactly what is going on here.

But the long and short of it is this: Same-sex marriages have already occurred. They've brought money to California. No opposite-sex marriages have been threatened, harmed or affected in any way. No children have been threatened or harmed, but they may have been positively affected if their parents are gay. This is no longer hypothetical, so the conversation needs to be changed. Vote Yes on 8 if you want to take something away from people that doesn't have anything at all to do with you. Does that sound right, fair, or anything like what America is about?