The California Supreme Court abolished the state’s same-sex marriage ban in May, sparking public celebration in some places and angry protest in others. Now some critics of same-sex marriage are fighting back with an initiative to reinstate the ban, leaving voters once again divided. Should marriage remain between a man and a woman, or is it time to widen the aisle for same-sex couples? (Editor's Note: On November 4th, California voters passed Proposition 8 to ban same-sex marriage.)
Co-Chair, Stonewall Democrats
The proponents of Prop 8 say they don’t want to discriminate against me and my partner of 23 years. Sometimes they even say we can have all the rights and responsibilities of marriage, just not the word “marriage.”
That’s insulting. It’s like asking a person of color what difference it makes where they sit on a bus as long as they get a seat. It’s like telling women they can have a job in the company as long as they don’t try to take it away from a man. Society had the smarts to reject that.
Look, no one grows up dreaming of being in a Domestic Partnership. Standing in the same line as folks getting a business license is about as romantic as a trip to the DMV. But it’s not just that. No one has to guarantee us romance. It’s that “marriage” means I belong with my partner in a time of emergency. It’s a primary relationship in society, understood immediately by the ambulance driver, by the emergency room doctor, by the police.
In a life and death situation, I don’t want to waste a minute quibbling over what rights a domestic partner has. I want to be with my chosen life partner NOW.
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