The anti-gay-marriage forces are in in full swing. Last month, before any advertising went out on California's Prop 8, a Field Poll was running 55-38 against banning same-sex marriage. Now, with the airwaves full of their deceptive ads, the latest Survey USA poll is running 47-42 in Prop 8's favor.
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/...
I don't know which number are accurate. I just know that if Prop 8 passes, my state's Constitution gets changed, and my weeks-old marriage gets yanked away from me.
If you're a Californian, you've probably seen the deceptive ad. A professor babbles about how gay marriage will cause people to be sued over their personal beliefs, churches will be forced to perform gay marriages, and kindergartners will be taught about gay marriage in school. None of this is true. But if we leave the lies unchallenged, we're facing a disaster on Election Day.
I'm seeing a lot of pro-Prop-8 letters to the editor. Weirdly, the favorite talking point seems to be that "real" marriages have to make babies. What an insult to all the straight married couples who don't have biological children. Not to mention the same-sex couples, like Packrat and me, who are also parents.
I'm scared to death of phone banking, but I'm about to try it for the fist time, because I'm more scared of losing on this issue. And I'm sending out a distress call to my fellow Californians: please, make those phone calls. Write those letters to the editor. Talk to your friends and family. If you're not sure where to start, here are some points to start with:
* Prop 8 says nothing about schools or churches.
* The court decision that legalized same-sex marriage specifically said that churches cannot be forced to perform marriages that are against their beliefs. Similarly, the Catholic Church doesn't perform marriages for people who have been divorced, and lots of churches don't do marriages for people who don't belong to their faith. Prop 8 is about civil marriage, not religion.
* According to census figures, at least 20% of same-sex couples are raising children. For female couples, it's at least 30%. The children lose important financial and legal benefits if marriage rights are taken away from their parents.
* Adults should be allowed to make their own marital decisions, whether other people approve of them or not. Some poeple don't approve of interracial marriage, interfaith marriage, or remarriage after divorce, but that's not a reason for government interference.
* Thousands of same-sex couples are already married. Retroactively taking this right away creates legal chaos. Prop 8 actively
takes away a legal right from people who already have it.
I realize I'm preaching to the choir here - but I'm counting on the choir to sing it loud. Our opponents are well-funded, and they're willing to resort to a great deal of false witnessing. Please check out the opportunities to volunteer and donate at:
http://www.noonprop8.com/...