Those Who Lost Again in 2008 November 8, 2008
Posted by Conrad Hubbard in : The Chip , 2 commentsAlthough the civil rights movement took a large step forward on November 4th, due to the election of Barack Obama to the position of President of the United States of America, it also took another step backwards at the same time. Three more states passed constitutional amendments against gay marriage and joined the 11 states that turned out in 2004 to declare that gay citizens were second class citizens. Sadly, even a voting body that finally decided to overcome the racism of more than two centuries also decided to reinforce the sexist bigotry of centuries.
A majority of voters in California passed Proposition 8, with the purpose of “Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry” and the constitutional text of ”Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” Political groups spent nearly $36 million to win their campaign to discriminate against gay citizens. The vote count is disputed for various reasons.
A majority of voters in Arizona passed Proposition 102, similarly attacking the rights of gay citizens. The proposition reads, “Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state.” The state had already defeated a similar proposition in 2006. There were apparently some shenanigans with the legislative vote on 102.
A majority of voters in Florida passed Amendment 2, also denying gay citizens of the right to legally marry. The margin of this vote was sadly reminiscent of those from 2004, too. This amendment declares that, “Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized.”
Decades ago, our country refused to recognize the marriage of couples of different races. Eventually we evolved into the realization that our racist actions of the past were misguided, immoral and deserving of reversal. Sadly we have yet, as a society, to recognize our sexist bigotry against gay citizens for the misguided, immoral mistreatment that it is. Hopefully, we will grow up, as a nation, and finally cast off the hateful sexism of the past, just as we have finally moved beyond our national federal support of racism.
There is another horizon for us to cross, as evolved and progressive human beings, and it is the boundaries of sexism. It is time to put sexism aside, in all of its forms. Heterosexual men, heterosexual women, bisexual men, bisexual women, homosexual men, homosexual women… we are all human beings and should enjoy the same rights.