Oh, the Irony

I've avoided talking about the recent election on this blog, but the fight over Proposition 8 in California is extremely Hollywood-related, so I figure it deserves a mention.

To those in the dark: Prop 8 was a ballot proposition that would overturn the recent CA court ruling allowing gay marriage. It succeeded, by about 52-48%.

The painful irony: the large African-American turnout that helped elect Barack Obama also probably tipped the balance in Prop 8's favor -- blacks voted in favor of the proposition by 70%.

To put things in perspective for those on the losing side -- i.e., fans of human rights, including Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who came out against the proposition -- the anti-gay marriage fundamentalists are just trying to push through as many of these ballot initiatives as possible right now because they know it's only a few years before public opinion swings the other way. The boat's leaking, and they're not going to be able to cork all the holes before the flood comes.

Still, prominent opponents like Melissa Ethridge has decided that since she's suddenly lost the right to marry who she wants, she doesn't have to pay taxes anymore:

I am taking that to mean I do not have to pay my state taxes because I am not a full citizen. I mean that would just be wrong, to make someone pay taxes and not give them the same rights, sounds sort of like that taxation without representation thing from the history books.

Okay, cool I don't mean to get too personal here but there is a lot I can do with the extra half a million dollars that I will be keeping instead of handing it over to the state of California. Oh, and I am sure Ellen will be a little excited to keep her bazillion bucks that she pays in taxes too. Wow, come to think of it, there are quite a few of us fortunate gay folks that will be having some extra cash this year. What recession? We're gay!

Oh and too bad California, I know you were looking forward to the revenue from all of those extra marriages. I guess you will have to find some other way to get out of the budget trouble you are in.

When did it become okay to legislate morality? I try to envision someone reading that legislation "eliminates the right" and then clicking yes. What goes through their mind? Was it the frightening commercial where the little girl comes home and says, "Hi mom, we learned about gays in class today" and then the mother gets that awful worried look and the scary music plays? Do they not know anyone who is gay? If they do, can they look them in the face and say "I believe you do not deserve the same rights as me"? Do they think that their children will never encounter a gay person? Do they think they will never have to explain the 20% of us who are gay and living and working side by side with all the citizens of California?

I got news for them, someday your child is going to come home and ask you what a gay person is. Gay people are born everyday. You will never legislate that away."

Prior to the vote, celebrities like Steven Spielberg and Brad Pitt donated over a million dollars to the anti-Prop 8 cause.

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