today we’re lucky to have a piece by yet another guest blogger, who is a regular reader and commenter going by the alias Brinstar. the issue that this post champions is one that i firmly and passionately believe in. as election season is overshadowed by the presidential race, it’s not only important but imperative to look at all the other issues going on that mean something to you and remember there are lots of matters on the state level at stake. so i want to thank Brinstar for bringing this one to our attention and thank her for writing this post. please vote NO on prop. 8 if you are a registered voter in the state of california as you cast your ballot and if you don’t vote in california, then i entreat you to make a donation to help defeat this unfair proposition. –cindy

This November, Californians have the opportunity to vote on Prop. 8, a measure that, if passed, will eliminate the fundamental right of same-sex couples to marry.

In the United States, the struggle for equality has been one of expanding rights to marginalised groups who did not previously have them. White men were able to vote first. Later, black men had the right to vote. After another long period of time, women got the right to vote. Equality is never about taking rights away.

Last May, the California State Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to bar same-sex couple from marrying. The judiciary, which has the function of interpreting the law, ruled that it was discriminatory to deny certain people some rights, yet allow another set of people those same rights. Justice was served by giving people the same basic rights that they should have had in the first place.

Although same-sex couples in the State of California can enter into a Domestic Partnership and have access to the same rights as married people, using different language for a distinct group of people is discriminatory, which is why the California Supreme Court made the decision it did in May.

Why is language and terminology important? Because “separate but equal” is fundamentally not equal. It is discriminatory for two groups of people to have the same rights under law, but have their relationships referred to with different terminology. Those relationships being fundamentally the same, so the law should treat them the same. It also has far-reaching cultural ramifications. If we use different legal terminology for same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples, how will gay people ever be seen as equal by everyone in our society?

For example, when segregation was still in place in the United States, black people and white people had to use separate restrooms. They both had the right to use restrooms, but by forcing this separation, it continued to reinforce the racist cultural perception that black people and white people were fundamentally different types of human beings. This sort of separation allowed people in society to practice racial discrimination in daily life, and in some cases, under law.

Passing Proposition 8 would explicitly write discrimination against one group of people into the California State Constitution. If Californians allow discrimination under the law against one group of people, what’s to say that other groups may not also face the same threat? Allowing civil rights to be taken away from others threatens your own civil rights. If people allow civil rights to be eroded, it’s much more difficult to get them back.

If Proposition 8 passes, it will take rights away, it will break families apart, and it will prevent new families from forming.

Public opinion is now shifting in favour of Proposition 8 because its supporters have raised massive amounts of money on advertisements to spread their lies, bigotry, and homophobia throughout the state.

If you’re registered to vote in California, please vote “NO” on Proposition 8. Talk to your friends about it and let them know why voting “Yes” on Prop 8 is wrong. If you don’t live in California, please consider donating to a group that supports marriage equality.