Maine, you disappoint me
I'm shocked. I'm shocked that once again, basic rights are taken away from people. For those who don't know, last night (or early this morning), Maine voted to repeal a law that would have allowed same-sex marriage in the state. You can read a Washington Post article or the NY Times one for all the details. It never even became a law since it was put on hold pending the election. I had a feeling that if left to popular vote, voters would not allow the law to stand. And do you know why? It's because there are still many people in this country who are bigots and ignorant when it comes to gay people. They actually believe that being gay is a "sickness" that it's a "choice." Why would I choose to not have basic rights? Why would I choose to be discriminated against on a daily basis? Why would I choose to be hated? People are born gay and the world needs to accept this fact. I'm sick of hearing these religious nutcases talk about how we are "unnatural" and "freaks". I am sick of being made to feel subhuman.
It doesn't make sense. Lies during this campaign were passed off as the truths by gay marriage opponents. No, if the law were to stand, children were not going to be taught about homosexuals in school. Why does that always put people over the edge anyway? Why are people so threatened by gay marriage anyway? It will not affect their lives. The world will not end. In fact, it will boost most economies if it were legalized. More weddings translates to more caterers, cakes and flowers sold, venues booked, wait staff and photographers hired, dresses sold, tuxes rented, hotels booked, flights and honeymoons reserved, etc, etc, etc. Unfortunately, the same misleading statements have been spewed out in Maine as they were in California.
At the root, the older generation of Maine's population and rural populations really killed this law. Now, I'm not saying that all people in an older generation are anti-gay, but a good amount of them are. Take those people out of the equation and we wouldn't have a problem today. Most younger generations are accepting of gays. Numerous surveys and studies have documented this. Just look around at people in their 20s and 30s. Most have gay friends and don't have an issue with it. Many don't vote with ignorance, but unfortunately many also don't vote. And that's the source of this issue. Until the majority of the younger generation gets out and vote, we are going to be continually disappointed come the day after election day. Our supporters aren't voting.
Some day we're all going to look back at this and see how hard we had to struggle to finally achieve equality. Maybe by the time I'm 50 I'll be able to marry my partner legally in this country. Let's see... I only have another 17 years or so. I don't want to wait that long. Maybe I'll emigrate to Canada eventually since it's legal there country-wide. I did have a small window of time here in California last year. I should have seized that opportunity. I know many who did. I am very happy for them, but I am sad for the millions of those who never got the chance.
It doesn't make sense. Lies during this campaign were passed off as the truths by gay marriage opponents. No, if the law were to stand, children were not going to be taught about homosexuals in school. Why does that always put people over the edge anyway? Why are people so threatened by gay marriage anyway? It will not affect their lives. The world will not end. In fact, it will boost most economies if it were legalized. More weddings translates to more caterers, cakes and flowers sold, venues booked, wait staff and photographers hired, dresses sold, tuxes rented, hotels booked, flights and honeymoons reserved, etc, etc, etc. Unfortunately, the same misleading statements have been spewed out in Maine as they were in California.
At the root, the older generation of Maine's population and rural populations really killed this law. Now, I'm not saying that all people in an older generation are anti-gay, but a good amount of them are. Take those people out of the equation and we wouldn't have a problem today. Most younger generations are accepting of gays. Numerous surveys and studies have documented this. Just look around at people in their 20s and 30s. Most have gay friends and don't have an issue with it. Many don't vote with ignorance, but unfortunately many also don't vote. And that's the source of this issue. Until the majority of the younger generation gets out and vote, we are going to be continually disappointed come the day after election day. Our supporters aren't voting.
Some day we're all going to look back at this and see how hard we had to struggle to finally achieve equality. Maybe by the time I'm 50 I'll be able to marry my partner legally in this country. Let's see... I only have another 17 years or so. I don't want to wait that long. Maybe I'll emigrate to Canada eventually since it's legal there country-wide. I did have a small window of time here in California last year. I should have seized that opportunity. I know many who did. I am very happy for them, but I am sad for the millions of those who never got the chance.
Labels: gay marriage, maine vote
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