Prop 8 upheld
May. 27th, 2009 11:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greenie_breizhObviously very disappointed by the news that Prop 8 was upheld. Not even so much because I believe in marriage equality, but because I think there is something utterly problematic in having the majority vote on minority rights. Talk about dominance - ballot measures like this take away minority rights unless the majority is kind enough to let the minority keep their rights.
This is not about the people deciding on what direction they want their states to go in. It would only be about that if the measure affected everyone similarly, or based on a criteria that can affect everyone. But it's not the case here, so it's about something else. It's about whether or not we're going to treat everyone equally. And I have no qualms about saying fuck you to people who use tradition or religion or whatever the hell they want as an excuse not to treat people equally. This is not about your feelings. It's about people's rights to live the life they want without harming others without your ridiculous moral standards dictating what they can do.
This is not democracy. Democracy is not about the majority being able to stigmatize and bully minority groups.
One thing that made the news a little less disappointing was to see some of the messages that were tweeted in response. Eliza Dushku reacted immediately with "Shame on the California Supreme Court", but even more significant to me, she actually went down to one of the protests to show her support. And sure, ultimately she's no one all that special, but I do like the work she does and the effort she puts into getting out of her comfort zone by traveling, and I always feel a little encouraged by people actually following through on their opinions. It's one thing to say you think the decision sucks, another one to get yourself to a protest.
Also, at least the couples that were married between May and November will stay married. Not unexpected, it makes sense, but I do take comfort in thinking that regardless of what social conservatives wanted, same-sex couples went to bed last night still married to each other.
This is not about the people deciding on what direction they want their states to go in. It would only be about that if the measure affected everyone similarly, or based on a criteria that can affect everyone. But it's not the case here, so it's about something else. It's about whether or not we're going to treat everyone equally. And I have no qualms about saying fuck you to people who use tradition or religion or whatever the hell they want as an excuse not to treat people equally. This is not about your feelings. It's about people's rights to live the life they want without harming others without your ridiculous moral standards dictating what they can do.
This is not democracy. Democracy is not about the majority being able to stigmatize and bully minority groups.
One thing that made the news a little less disappointing was to see some of the messages that were tweeted in response. Eliza Dushku reacted immediately with "Shame on the California Supreme Court", but even more significant to me, she actually went down to one of the protests to show her support. And sure, ultimately she's no one all that special, but I do like the work she does and the effort she puts into getting out of her comfort zone by traveling, and I always feel a little encouraged by people actually following through on their opinions. It's one thing to say you think the decision sucks, another one to get yourself to a protest.
Also, at least the couples that were married between May and November will stay married. Not unexpected, it makes sense, but I do take comfort in thinking that regardless of what social conservatives wanted, same-sex couples went to bed last night still married to each other.
