On the eve of November 4, 2008 the world changed, and the words “Yes We Can” and “Yes we Did” resounded amongst the people and the boundaries of the United States, bringing it one step closer to unification and equality. Barack Obama became the first African-American President elect of the United States of America, and the face of America changed forever. Although many rejoiced in the historic success, California left the country disheartened and hopeless. For many Americans the world as they knew it changed. For many this day signified a step toward progress, financial viability, and healthcare reform. However, in the midst of a historic presidential moment many Americans were denied a fundamental right in California; the right to marry.
This November, a group of Californians placed on their Ballot a proposition that would amend the California State Constitution and once again define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, thus eliminating same-sex marriage rights. The controversy surrounding granting basic rights to people who identify as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered (GLBT) has been present since the 1970s. In 2005, the Governor of California vetoed a Bill granting marriage rights to the GLBT community, and left the decision up the Courts. In 2006, several same-sex couples petitioned the Supreme Court of California to review their case. In April 2006, the California Supreme Court decided to consolidate and hear all same-sex marriage cases before the court into In Re Marriage. The Supreme Court found that equal respect and dignity of marriage is a basic civil right. Furthermore, the Court held that it was unconstitutional to prevent same-sex couples from getting married because GLBT individuals are a protected class, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation should be subject to strict scrutiny under the Equal Protections clause of the 14th Amendment.
The success achieved by the In Re Marriage case was short lived, and was an illusory promise to the GLBT community in California. The case created zealous joy, and the hope for equality and access to a legal system founded on the idea that the law is blind. On November 4th while the rest of the country celebrated a step away from racial bifurcation, the GLBT community in California and across the nation was disenchanted with a system that promised and did not deliver. Same-sex rights ended for GLBT couples and Proposition 8 reversed one of the most important decisions in California’s legal history. The basic right to marry the person that you LOVE was swept from under us, and we were left disenfranchised once again.
What is it about love that requires such boundaries and restrictions? Love is an unidentifiable emotion, a hard to describe impression. It is about sacrificing what is personally important to you in order to show another that you care. It is thinking about a person daily and rejoicing in the memories created whether small or big. It is getting goose bumps as your loved one walks through the door looking elegant, confident and graceful. Love is knowing that at the end of the night a warm body lies next to you, comforting your happiness or sorrow. Love is sharing in a dream, a new car, a new restaurant experience, trips to exotic places, sharing thoughts on a new book, political problem or pop culture. But most importantly, love is an emotion that allows people to enter the most vulnerable of places in a person’s heart and enables people to look deep into each others souls and feel at home.
The voters of California have spoken and their voice suggests that love should be defined as the union between a man and a woman in an effort to maintain the sanctity of family values. I challenge that notion because family values are not based on gender identity or sexual orientation. Family is founded on sharing common grounds, whether it is genetic or sociological. For example, this Thanksgiving I was not able to be home with my immediate family, however, many doors were opened to me and I was able to share a family dinner with an extended family that treated me as their own. A family is not restricted to mean one thing and neither should marriage be.
On November 5th, 2008 I woke up and felt proud to say that Barack Obama was going to be the President of the United States, but was disgusted with California’s decision to abolish same-sex marriage. I felt disgusted because the future of equal rights and equal access remains uncertain. It reminded me that I continue to be a second class citizen and that my ability to love another is neither recognized nor respected. Waking up that morning reminded me of how I felt for a large part of my adolescence, alone fighting an uphill battle. It made me recall that I grew up in a neighborhood where being gay was and continues to be an abomination. It reminded me of those dark days when I felt frightened that someone would find out my secret. A secret that has led me to have many faces in the world, a secret that has enabled me to mislead, lie and learn to survive in a world that would rather turn a blind eye than understand differences.
Proposition 8 is the ghost that haunts many GLBT individuals, the reinforcement that we do not share the same legal or social rights as all other Americans. To this day I have never conversed with my parents abut the fact that I am gay, part of me is scared that The main purpose of proposition 8 is division and hate. Love has no boundaries, it is an emotion that allows people to gain a sense of self and open their heart to a pure untainted passion. I urge all of mankind to say no to H8 and yes to love.
Hugo is a 2L and can be reached at forum@valpo.edu.this will cause them to stop loving me, while another part of me believes that nothing will change. Propositions such as 8 handicap me as an individual and do not allow me to live a life free of restraints. How much will the GLBT community have to sacrifice so that we can be seen as people deserving of love, compassion and equal rights?
I have made personal choices in life which I do not regret. but that have been driven by the thought that if I can just prove myself in life, then being gay will not matter. However, these decisions suggest that something is wrong with me and that I need to compensate for standing firm and embracing my identity. I know that being gay is not wrong or abnormal as most call it; on the contrary, it takes strength, courage and conviction to know myself and realize that my identity rests on firm grounds. I do not believe that I am any different than anyone else, I hurt, bleed, cry, and LOVE the same way that anyone else does. If your church or your heart tells you that there is something wrong with me because I love a man, I urge you look deep within and ask yourself: is love an emotion that is only reserved for the two people of opposite sex?
The main purpose of proposition 8 is division and hate. Love has no boundaries, it is an emotion that allows people to gain a sense of self and open their heart to a pure untainted passion. I urge all of mankind to say no to H8 and yes to love.
Hugo is a 2L and can be reached at forum@valpo.edu.
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