No on 1
Submitted by sandi on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 12:19
I sit here in San Diego, CA watching for news on the election in Maine today. Once again, a protected class of people were finally given the civil right to marry and once again the bigots are working hard at taking that right away from them.
To all of you who are voting Yes on 1, I have to ask you - what will you really lose by letting 2 people who love each other get married to one another? Are you aware that what you are really doing is telling the gay and lesbian community that they are not entitled to all the same civil rights that you are? If your son, daughter, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, mother, father, grandmother, grandfather or neighbor was gay, would you as readily look them in the face and tell them "You are inferior to me and do not deserve the same civil rights as I have."?
Please remember that our country was founded by people who were fleeing from religous persecution, seeking to be free to make their own choices without the church dictating to them what they were and were not allowed to do. How can you tell 10% of our population that they cannot be married based on your religious beliefs? If your argument is based on your religious beliefs, then I ask you to consider that religion should not be dictating law. If it does, then we are stepping back to the 1600's. We become the very government the pilgrims escaped to this country to avoid.
What would really happen to you and your family if gay and lesbian couple are allowed to be married? Will your marriage fall apart? Will you lose money because of it? Will the world crumble beneath your feet? Massachusetts passed a law legalizing same sex marriage years ago and the world did not end. Iowa did the same this year and the world did not end. Connecticutt took the same approach to marriage and the world did not end. New Hampshire and Vermont did the same and the world did not end.
What if, every state legalized same sex marriage? What if every American citizen had the same civil and human rights as every other American citizen? Do you find that offensive? Because that is what this is all about. It is about giving people civil rights, or worse, taking them away. Are you really comfortable with that?
What if the next thing we get to vote on is that ONLY people of the same religion can get married. Marriages of mixed religions will no longer be legal. Would THAT be OK with you?
Maybe we will even slip back to being able to vote as to whether or not people of mixed race will be able to get married. Is THAT OK with you?
Maybe we should not allow the disabled to be married. Is That OK with you?
How much are you willing to take away and from whom are you willing to do that? What if it finally reaches YOUR home? What if your children are told, "I am sorry, but you cannot get married in this state because of who you are."? Would you sit back and say, OK?
Please reconsider your vote today in Maine when it comes to this issue and vote NO on 1. Please be the kind of American that values equal rights for all citizens. Step up and take a stand for civil rights. Tell the voters of your state that it is NOT OK to take rights away from any citizen of the great state of Maine. You won't regret it.
Thank you.
To all of you who are voting Yes on 1, I have to ask you - what will you really lose by letting 2 people who love each other get married to one another? Are you aware that what you are really doing is telling the gay and lesbian community that they are not entitled to all the same civil rights that you are? If your son, daughter, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, mother, father, grandmother, grandfather or neighbor was gay, would you as readily look them in the face and tell them "You are inferior to me and do not deserve the same civil rights as I have."?
Please remember that our country was founded by people who were fleeing from religous persecution, seeking to be free to make their own choices without the church dictating to them what they were and were not allowed to do. How can you tell 10% of our population that they cannot be married based on your religious beliefs? If your argument is based on your religious beliefs, then I ask you to consider that religion should not be dictating law. If it does, then we are stepping back to the 1600's. We become the very government the pilgrims escaped to this country to avoid.
What would really happen to you and your family if gay and lesbian couple are allowed to be married? Will your marriage fall apart? Will you lose money because of it? Will the world crumble beneath your feet? Massachusetts passed a law legalizing same sex marriage years ago and the world did not end. Iowa did the same this year and the world did not end. Connecticutt took the same approach to marriage and the world did not end. New Hampshire and Vermont did the same and the world did not end.
What if, every state legalized same sex marriage? What if every American citizen had the same civil and human rights as every other American citizen? Do you find that offensive? Because that is what this is all about. It is about giving people civil rights, or worse, taking them away. Are you really comfortable with that?
What if the next thing we get to vote on is that ONLY people of the same religion can get married. Marriages of mixed religions will no longer be legal. Would THAT be OK with you?
Maybe we will even slip back to being able to vote as to whether or not people of mixed race will be able to get married. Is THAT OK with you?
Maybe we should not allow the disabled to be married. Is That OK with you?
How much are you willing to take away and from whom are you willing to do that? What if it finally reaches YOUR home? What if your children are told, "I am sorry, but you cannot get married in this state because of who you are."? Would you sit back and say, OK?
Please reconsider your vote today in Maine when it comes to this issue and vote NO on 1. Please be the kind of American that values equal rights for all citizens. Step up and take a stand for civil rights. Tell the voters of your state that it is NOT OK to take rights away from any citizen of the great state of Maine. You won't regret it.
Thank you.
