Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Celebration or Conundrum

This is coming via my pal Trevor’s post on minority rights. Last night while I was all teary eyed and joyful over the Obama win, this morning again, I was all teary eyed but disappointed reading about measures to ban gay marriage that succeeded in Florida, Arizona and California. Gay adoption was banned in Arkansas. The following are the results of these important ballot measures (the numbers in parentheses are the percentage of precincts counted). For more on these numbers and related results, visit dailykos.

Arizona: Proposition 102 defining marriage as between a man and a woman (92%)
For: 1,009,693 - 57%
Against: 777,359 - 43%
Arkansas: Ban Gay Adoption (90%)
For: 549,074 – 57%
Against: 418,648 - 43%
California: Proposition 8 to ban gay marriage (84%)
For: 4,605,065 - 51.8%
Against: 4,293,068 - 48.2%
Colorado: Proposition 46 to end affirmative action (77%)
For: 886,544 – 49%
Against: 911,218 – 51%
Florida: Amendment 2 more strongly banning gay marriage (99%)
For: 4,657,031 – 62%
Against: 2,848,490 - 38%
Nebraska: Ban Affirmative Action (99%)
For: 384,729 – 58%
Against: 283,351 - 42%

This tragic turn takes me back to my conversation with a friend last Saturday. We were discussing "gay marriage," and the arguments for and against it. The pro-liberal me was all for supporting the right of every individual to get married irrespective of sexual orientation or ethnicity. But my friend thought otherwise. She was arguing instead for the right to "civil union," which provides all legal benefits to both partners but leaves the certifying of marriage to the Church. Her underlying argument - marriage cannot exclude religion, and for two people to then enter into this institution, the approval of Church or for that matter any religious institution was essential.

...and the debate continues.

4 comments:

Anonymous November 5, 2008 at 9:54 PM  

Dearest kush-a-roo,
While I think it's totally dumb that gay people cannot marry, I still think that we have
come a long long way. It's so amazing to see someone not white be the first family. That
said, I see a gay couple being the first family in another 20 years--apparently that's
how long it takes to get some justice going here. Or maybe faster given our generation.

kaleidoscope November 5, 2008 at 10:08 PM  

- Suma

That's being super sweet and optimistic. I agree with you that change at all levels are around the corner. And to come to think of it, isn't life all about changing perceptions and an eternally changing tomorrow ? (sounding like a philosopher already).

I am super proud to have you in my life. Keep up the liberal spirits! Cheers!

Anonymous November 6, 2008 at 1:28 PM  

K. I am sorry to see that this election did not bring liberation in all grounds.

Unfortunately, "change" does not come all at once, and some aspects in society change gradually. As S. noted in her comment, I am optimistic that the society will finally acknowledge all that matters is to maintain healthy relationships between individuals without being stuck on gender and related categories.

kaleidoscope November 7, 2008 at 1:25 PM  

- Ipek

I agree with you. Speaking of change, I am always reminded of Gandhi's famous words, "Be the change you want to see in the world". Cheers! to that spirit and people like you for sporting and penning libertarian views.

About This Blog

This blog is built around what I refer to as the socio-sexual debate, meaning the simultaneously coexisting conditions of human society and human sexuality in a constant state of inner conflict and pressing debate. To read more, click here.

Opinion Matters

"There is a way of discussing sexuality without using labels" (Mika* in an interview with Shana Naomi Krochmal, OUT, 2008-01-28).

*Mika is a London-based singer-songwriter.

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