LesterX
Oct 28th, 2008, 09:36 PM
I received this email from friends yesterday and thought I'd share.
[i]We are writing this e-mail in hopes that our personal family story will remind you and encourage you to vote NO on PROP 8 on election day. We have been together more than 18 years and we have struggled to make sure that we have legal protection for not only each other but as parents of our daughter B. Until we can be legally married in the state of California our daughter does not have the parental protection that she needs. Prop 8 wants to change the constitution with a vote by the people that would take away another person's right to equality. This is a slippery slope as when one group of people are singled out for any reason and treated like second class citizens it leads to widespread discrimination that can have damaging results. We also have to stop and think before rushing to judgment and making decisions based on misleading and inaccurate information.
The California Supreme Court took into consideration all arguments and ruled that denying gay people the right to marry is unconstitutional. We want and need marriage equality so that our family is protected from discrimination and the questioning of our parental rights. Can you imagine how B. must feel as we drive down the street on the way to school or to volleyball practice and we see the signs on neighbors yards that convey a message that somehow our family is wrong or bad and that her parents are not capable of giving her the love, guidance, and nurturing that she needs?
We all know that the California School Superintendent has publicly stated that the claim that gay marriage would be taught in schools is false. We also know that allowing us to get married has no effect on the ever rising divorce rate in this state or around the country. M. is employed by the Department of Mental Health and with the increasing population who are now in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services due to abuse, neglect, incarceration, and substance abuse it is a shock to us that our marriage or parental abilities are being questioned. I think the evidence speaks for itself that families need positive role models and we think our family can provide a model for what a healthy happy and stable family can be.
So, when you vote, please help our family and remember that B. needs the same protection that your children, family, friends, and neighbors have and vote NO on PROP 8!
With all the back and forth rhetoric between the pro and anti gay marriage contingents, sometimes the actual human beings impacted are forgotten. One of the moms in this story is someone I have known my entire life. We were born six weeks apart and have been friends for 40+ years. (God, I'm old.) Ironically, given that Mormons are the primary donors to the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign here in California, her wife is from a large Mormon family. I attended M and K's wedding in July, and K's parents were there to celebrate with their daughter and gave beautiful toasts. Props to them for demonstrating true family values.
[i]We are writing this e-mail in hopes that our personal family story will remind you and encourage you to vote NO on PROP 8 on election day. We have been together more than 18 years and we have struggled to make sure that we have legal protection for not only each other but as parents of our daughter B. Until we can be legally married in the state of California our daughter does not have the parental protection that she needs. Prop 8 wants to change the constitution with a vote by the people that would take away another person's right to equality. This is a slippery slope as when one group of people are singled out for any reason and treated like second class citizens it leads to widespread discrimination that can have damaging results. We also have to stop and think before rushing to judgment and making decisions based on misleading and inaccurate information.
The California Supreme Court took into consideration all arguments and ruled that denying gay people the right to marry is unconstitutional. We want and need marriage equality so that our family is protected from discrimination and the questioning of our parental rights. Can you imagine how B. must feel as we drive down the street on the way to school or to volleyball practice and we see the signs on neighbors yards that convey a message that somehow our family is wrong or bad and that her parents are not capable of giving her the love, guidance, and nurturing that she needs?
We all know that the California School Superintendent has publicly stated that the claim that gay marriage would be taught in schools is false. We also know that allowing us to get married has no effect on the ever rising divorce rate in this state or around the country. M. is employed by the Department of Mental Health and with the increasing population who are now in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services due to abuse, neglect, incarceration, and substance abuse it is a shock to us that our marriage or parental abilities are being questioned. I think the evidence speaks for itself that families need positive role models and we think our family can provide a model for what a healthy happy and stable family can be.
So, when you vote, please help our family and remember that B. needs the same protection that your children, family, friends, and neighbors have and vote NO on PROP 8!
With all the back and forth rhetoric between the pro and anti gay marriage contingents, sometimes the actual human beings impacted are forgotten. One of the moms in this story is someone I have known my entire life. We were born six weeks apart and have been friends for 40+ years. (God, I'm old.) Ironically, given that Mormons are the primary donors to the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign here in California, her wife is from a large Mormon family. I attended M and K's wedding in July, and K's parents were there to celebrate with their daughter and gave beautiful toasts. Props to them for demonstrating true family values.