While much of the country is rightly focused on the presidential election, there’s no contest more important to me this year than an initiative on the ballot in California. If it passes with a simple majority, Proposition 8 will take away the fundamental right to marry for same-sex couples in that state. The measure has the heavy financial backing of the Mormon church, and recent polls suggest that the outcome could be very close.
I strongly oppose Proposition 8 because it’s unfair and wrong. Please join me in donating here. There’s still time to have an impact, and no amount is too small. And if you vote in California, please vote No on Prop 8.
You might wonder why I care at all about Prop 8. I live in Georgia. I’m straight. And I’m already married. What’s in it for me?
Well, you see, this issue is personal for me. My wife and I are an interracial couple. She’s black. I’m white. We’re both mindful that, not so long ago, interracial marriage was illegal in our home state. We believe very strongly that loving couples should have the right to marry without fear of discrimination. Our own marriage was only possible because the United States Supreme Court struck down Virginia’s ban on interracial marriage, and I shudder to think what my life would be like today if the right to marry someone of a different race or color had been put to a majority vote.
Yet that’s precisely what thousands of same-sex couples in California face right now. A referendum on human dignity and equality.
We can’t let Prop 8 pass. This is too important. This is the civil rights issue of our time, and we must rise to the challenge. Do something — please.
Go to www.noonprop8.com to help, or make a donation here.
Cross-posted from Facebook.
Leave a Reply