What You Don't Know About Proposition 8

I'm posting a letter written by a friend of mine regarding Proposition 8.  Let me just say that I am disgusted by the fact that churches are spreading lies about what voting No on Proposition 8 will mean to a church's NFP status, or what our children will be taught in school.  More fear and more ignorance.  I'm so unbelievably tired of it.  Please take a few minutes to educate yourself on THE TRUTH about PROP 8, and then please forward this to all your California friends.  

Thank you.

I am Doug Matheson.  I am sending this email to everyone I know because there is a proposition in California this election year that directly affects me and my husband Seth.  The proposition is regarding same-sex marriage in California.  I would appreciate it if you would take ten minutes to read what I have to say about this issue that is very important to me, and use it to make your own informed decision about how you vote or extend your support.

As many of you may know, Seth and I had a wedding in March of this year where we became legal domestic partners.  California's domestic partner law (AB205) was revised in early 2007, so that it would (to paraphrase wikipedia) "afford domestic partnerships ALL OF THE SAME  RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS MARRIAGES UNDER STATE LAW"

So what that means is that as domestic partners, Seth and I have all the benefits and protections of a legal marriage in California.  For all intents and purposes, we are considered married by the state.  We have to go through a divorce if we split up.  No one can prevent us from visiting each other in the hospital or making medical decisions.  We are listed as being spouses with our health insurance provider, and all other California businesses.  We will file our state taxes jointly this year.  This de facto same sex marriage has existed in California since January 2007.

In May of 2008, the Supreme Court of California made one small, but very important change for same-sex couples.  It said that just affording all the same rights and protections of marriage, but not calling it "marriage" "was discrimination, and that sexual orientation WAS NOT a basis for discrimination.

Seth and I were legally married at the end of July.

In response to the Supreme Court decision, opponents of same-sex marriage put Proposition 8 on the ballot.  Below is the definition of Proposition 8, taken verbatim from protect marriage.com, a website put up in support of Prop. 8

The entire text of Proposition 8 is as follows:

"Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California."

Proposition 8 DOES NOT do anything to limit the rights afforded to domestic partners in California.  If you visit supportmarriage.com, and read their site, you will see that Prop 8 is a DIRECT RESPONSE to the Supreme Court decision, and does not relate in any way to AB205 (the domestic partnership law).

To be clear, if the voters of California support Proposition 8, THEY WILL ONLY BE DENYING SAME SEX COUPLES THE USE OF THE TERM"MARRIAGE", while continuing to afford us all the rights and responsibilities of married couples.  Prop 8 does not address what your children are taught in school, or the tax exempt status of churches.  Same sex couples will continue to enjoy all the rights and responsibilities of married couples regardless of the outcome of Prop 8.  The only thing that Prop 8 will change is whom the term "marriage" applies.  While this may only seem like an argument over a word, it is much more.  It is an argument over whether or not we should write discrimination into law.

I want to argue that, regardless of whether you live in California or not, and regardless of your feelings about homosexuality, and same-sex marriage, you SHOULD NOT SUPPORT Proposition 8.

Proposition 8 is writing discrimination into law in California.  If Seth and I, as domestic partners, have all the same rights, protections and responsibilities as a married couple in California, then the only thing that separates us from a married couple is the name "marriage".  That makes marriage a club we are denied entrance to because we are gay, or a water fountain that we can't drink out of because we are gay.  I understand that there are people who are uncomfortable with sharing the institution of marriage with same-sex couples, because they don't like the idea of it, but that DOESN'T make legislating it right.

I know discrimination exists.  I know not everyone agrees with my choice of lifestyle.  But I think that is is wrong to LEGISLATE discrimination.  California is better than that, and America is better than that.  We've had our bad history with legislated discrimination, and that is not a path America should go down again.  Don't be persuaded into supporting "separate but equal" legislation.