Closeted optimism

The presidential election doesn't seem to get me down quite as much as the drama surrounding Proposition 8. The fight has been fought before, and this Prop. 8 is just a battle in an ongoing war. No matter the outcome of this particular battle, there will be other hurdles waiting to take its place for the next election / legislature. The current state of things have only demonstrated that there are still many who oppose equal rights for the sexual minority. Major religious institutions have come up with quite a coordinated campaign to openly discriminate and cast gays and lesbians as second-class citizens who do not deserve the same rights as a heterosexual couple. This is where separation of church and state must be enforced, because bigotry and hypocrisy should not exist in politics any more than it does already. Mainstream religion has failed in demonstrating their teachings that God is love, and instead have created an environment where there is hatred and animosity. I'm not a believer anymore in God or the teachings of the Bible, but those who are should remember that every story has more than one side to it. All too often, Christianity focuses on what's convenient to them.

Consider Sodom and Gomorrah, for example. Wikipedia notes that the Biblical cities were destroyed by God because of its citizens' "sexual deviations", even lending meaning to the word "sodomy". Many consider homosexuality as part of this term. Curiously, the Jewish teachings do not blame homosexuality as much as the citizens' cruelty and lack of hospitality to the "stranger." There are parallels to what we're seeing in the electorate, where there is cruelty against those who are not cut out from the same mold as the majority. Perhaps mainstream Christianity has it all wrong, and maybe God didn't frown upon Sodom and Gomorrrah for its percevied "sexual deviations," but perhaps more to do with the way it has treated the minority. If that were the case, then the Knights of Columbia and the Mormon Church should be put to shame.

If Proposition 8 moves forward, it has the potential to reopen the wounds of many people who struggled for acceptance, and deepen the wound of many more who are questioning their sexuality. The optimist in me says that even if Prop. 8 gets approved, the gay community is resilient and determined enough to keep moving forward to push for equal rights. However, the realist in me sees a major setback for many gay and lesbian couples if this proposition comes to fruition.

No more hate.