WeezerMonkey's Eight Reasons to Vote No on Prop 8

Proposition 8 seeks to amend the Constitution of California to add the following language:

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

The ramifications of these few words would be incredible.

And not in a good way.

At first, I wrote a long and rambling rant. It turned out really angry. I scrapped it.

Here's my less emotional numbered list:

1. Prop 8 infringes on a fundamental right in violation of due process and discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation in violation of equal protection. A vote for Prop 8 is a vote for discrimination.
   
   
2. Differentiating between "marriage" and a "civil union" is not harmless. This distinction demotes same-sex couples to second-class citizens deemed unworthy of the true label of marriage. Remember Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896). Enforced separation stamps same-sex couples with a badge of inferiority. Separate is inherently unequal.
   
   
3. Like gender, race, and national origin, sexual orientation is an immutable characteristic. Sexual orientation is central to a person's identity. Prop 8 penalizes same-sex couples for being unable to change their very being.
   
   
4. Prejudice against the gay community has been so severe and long-standing that protective legislation is necessary to address and eventually eliminate such discrimination. Prop 8 is, in fact, a giant step in the opposite direction.
   
   
5. Granting same-sex couples the right to marry will have no effect on the substantive nature of marriage. Same-sex marriage will not deprive heterosexual couples of any rights. Limiting marriage to heterosexuals is not necessary to preserve the rights that heterosexual couples currently have. Permitting same-sex couples to marry is no different from permitting interracial couples to marry, as Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967) did over 40 years ago. Broadening civil marriage to include same-sex couples does not affect the legitimacy of heterosexual marriage any more than the allowance of different races to marry does.
   
   
6. Religious objections to gay marriage cannot and should not be considered in determining whether constitutional principles of equal protection provide for same-sex marriage. Marriage is a state-regulated institution. Same-sex marriage will not encroach upon religious freedom. No religion will be required to change its policies or practices with regard to same-sex couples. No church will be required to perform or to recognize same-sex marriages. No church's tax-exempt status will be affected.
   
   
7. Prop 8 has nothing to do with teaching same-sex marriage in school. Pursuant to California Education Code section 51240, parents have a right to review all materials regarding sexual health education programs and to have their children excused from participation. Prop 8 does not add anything to this rule that is already in place. Voting no on Prop 8 does not mean same-sex marriage will be taught in schools.
   
   
8. Voting yes on Prop 8 does not preserve the traditional institution of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Voting yes on Prop 8 is a vote to withhold fundamental rights from a specific group of people. To those who argue that "tradition" must be upheld, you are saying that discrimination must continue for "tradition's" sake. This exclusionary tradition -- like slavery, segregation, anti-miscegenation, or the denial of a woman's right to vote -- is unconstitutional and wrong.
   

Vote against discrimination. Vote against inequality. Vote no on Prop 8.