Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Prop 8 Ruling Rant

I know I haven't blogged in forever but I simply must take to my trusty keyboard today in light of yesterday's ruling in California which found prop 8 unconstitutional. Gay marriages are still stayed for the time being, but this is a major victory for anyone who believes that two loving people should be able to marry one another regardless of sexual orientation. All the people who fought for NO on 8 are thrilled at this decision, and for those that were the victors in the YES on 8 campaign in 2008, well... they're not happy.

I was interested to read that the LDS church immediately issued a lengthy statement about the overturn. Their main point being, "California voters have twice determined in a general election that marriage should be recognized as only between a man and a woman. We have always had that view. Courts should not alter that definition, especially when the people of California have spoken so clearly on the subject."

Wait.. what? You have always had that view? Are you sure? POSITIVE?? Furthermore, the way the church affairs are run are not by democracy-- it is more like the court system than anything else, with leaders being appointed by other leaders, none of whom, by contrast, were elected by anyone in the body of the church.

California voters have spoken so clearly on the subject? Doesn't anyone have a memory-- or google for that matter? Wasn't the vote 52% to 48% basically? I am sorry but I don't see that as a clear victory. The statement continues "Millions of voters in California sent a message that traditional marriage is crucial to society." Yes- thats true. But MILLIONS of other voters also thought that traditional marriage should be expanded to make room for new families who should be fairly recognized. To be exact- just over 7 million supported YES on Prop 8 and just over 6.4 million supported NO on 8.

Now I get it. You're mad. You tried so hard to get into law school and now you wish you had just never even gone to Harvard- to quote Elle Woods. You tried SOOO hard to make sure gays in California couldn't get married and now they probably will be able to by the end of the year (barring a supreme court appeal). But at the end of the day, you're just not going to win this one-- or as Adrian screams down the stairs at Rocky, "YOU CAN'T WIN!"

I still can't quite understand what the church was thinking getting involved in this clearly political battle. I don't see it as advancing the church's mission of perfecting the saints, preaching the gospel, and redeeming the dead. You don't want anything to do with homosexuals, feminists, and liberals-- well and good. It's your church and you get to say who is and isn't welcome to be a fully authorized dealer of mormonism. But I hope we have all learned a valuable lesson here. No matter how you spin it, you can't hide the facts: Until 1890 Mormons didn't believe in one man and one woman, and in terms of after-life doctrines Mormons still don't, and the vote to decide if gay rights are civil rights was simply too close to get an honest read on what rights California wanted to bestow or withhold from gay and lesbian couples in 2008. But beyond that, it is not really the people's job in our country to decide who gets rights or not. That is why we attempt to elect fair minded leaders who will attempt to elect fair minded judges to make the right decisions for ALL people- even if those decisions are not popular with ALL people.

I would think that the LDS church would be the first to understand and support that concept, were it in regards to something important to the church's welfare or freedom to "worship how where or what they may".

4 comments:

Gay LDS Actor said...

Amen, brother!

Mr. B. said...

I love how the Church's response was that millions of people voted for it, so it should stand. My very next question would be ... "If millions of people voted for gay marriage, would you be okay with the peoples' voices then?"

Washington State's legislature has passed gay marriage for us. It will most likely go to a vote. It will probably be close but I hope gay marriage will pass with the voters, too (although it shouldn't have to). Then, the Church can use that same logic with Washington. It must be okay!

CLARK JOHNSEN said...

Such a good point Mr. B!! "Slotted spoons don't hold much soup" comes to mind. Hey remember this concept-- just because it's popular doesn't make it right-- oh yeah, unless the popular people are voting for what you want to have happen.. then its definitely outrageous that the popular people didn't get their way. Allz I can say is stop trying to make FETCH happen.. its not going to happen.

Unknown said...

I've been listening to nothing but the Book of Mormon soundtrack lately, and it of course therefore, has been weighing in on everything I read - about Romney, about Prop 8, about the gay teens that did that "It Gets Better" video at BYU... And I keep coming to the same conclusion: that while the LDS church can often be as bad as the worst Christians, they also seem to more often be much more progressive and willing to adapt, and able to empathise. Like, on one hand, it's horrible that black people weren't allowed into the priesthood until 1978, but on the other hand, shouldn't something be said about their ability to admit they were wrong? You touched on that and their ability to adapt in your interview, and I have to say that I wholeheartedly agree with you, it is only a matter of time before "God changes his mind about gay people" too. And in our lifetime, too! Sooner, I bet. I hope...

And lol, aww, Elle doesn't deserve to be compared to the LDS church - I reckon they're more like Warner or maybe, hopefully, Vivian, and turn out to be super awesome in the end! (#convoluted analogy)

I'm sad that I've stumbled across this blog so late in the game. I reckon when the most recent entry that is from 6 months ago, and that entry apologises not having posted in awhile, it probably indicates you've moved on. I hope you see this comment – or not, maybe, if it's too...gushy? Redundant? Pointless?

-Jamie xx