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YO!
YO! is a collection of short pieces by the writers at Youth Outlook!
Official Participant in the Youth Media Blog-a-Thon Recently, supporters of same-sex marriage have taken to the streets to express heartache and disappointment at the passing of proposition 8. The 70% of African-American voters that supported the proposition banning gay marriage in California has been described as some as the “elephant” in the civil rights room. Many supporters can’t understand why of all the “minority” groups, African-Americans who have often been at the forefront in the struggle for equal rights in this country, would support a measure that infringes on people’s civil rights. Some rightfully dismayed protestors recently missed the mark and channeled their anger into blind hate, when racial slurs were aimed towards African-Americans at a protest in Los Angeles. Speaking as an African-American first-time voter who lives in Berkeley CA. , I can speak to some of that 70%. Although I did not vote to support prop 8, I did not vote against it. My rationale? That box remained blank on that ballot. Months ahead of election day, I went back and forth, sought the opinions on both sides and pondered deeply about where I stood on Prop 8. Many of the ads in opposition kept stating that the issue isn’t about how you feel personally about same-sex marriage; it was about taking away people’s rights. My dilemma is that as someone who has never been married, nor am I familiar with the “benefits” (tax-cuts, benefits, etc.) I wasn’t educated on the specific rights that were at stake. In retrospect, I could have done more to educate myself on those particular rights, but what I did find and was content with was that same-sex couples are protected under the “California Domestic Partnership” laws which supposedly almost mirror the legal rights of married couples. Once I had come to a conclusion on the logistical side, I had a moral question to answer. I am not a Christian, or particularly religious in any sense, so I am not coming from a “God made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve” outlook on life. I believe that two people who want to be together have the right, despite societies beliefs or stigmas, to be together if they so choose, Gay, Straight, Black, White, whatever. However, I couldn’t deny that in my understanding of marriage, it is a concept that I inherently associate as being between a man and a woman, not because of my religious convictions, but because of the natural order of things – men and women make babies. So, that was my thought process. I gave careful consideration to both sides, and came to the conclusion that in my not voting, I was in my own way being as supportive as I could be without taking a stance that was inconsistent with my personal truth. I support fully the notion of fighting for civil rights, and empathize with other marginalized groups. Unfortunately these instances tend to have an all or nothing policy that you’re either “with us or against us”. I am not against gay people, just as those suspected of racism feel the need to state how many Black friends they have, I almost feel compelled to state that, “I have Gay friends!” One LA Times writer (a black lesbian) explains best why there was such a dichotomy between African-American’s struggle for civil rights and the LGBT one. I appreciate her insight and recognition that although she belongs to the gay community and obviously wants the right to marry, she is not dismissive of the Black community and makes the observation that civil rights is not a “one size fits all” struggle. comments |
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A look into any grade school history book will demonstrate how unsuccessful the “separate but equal” philosophy was.
“I agree with Dante, that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality. There comes a time when silence becomes betrayal.” -Martin Luther King Jr.
By Straight but Supportive of Civil Rights to ALL · Posted on Nov 10, 05:53 PMIt certainly rings hollow for the civil rights movement that african americans can so easily dismiss oppression of others’ rights. I guess as long as it doesn’t effect YOU, it isn’t a civil rights issue.
Personally, I think this has less to do with morals and beliefs and more to do with ignorance – something that spans the full racial spectrum.
By mateo · Posted on Nov 10, 06:18 PMTo “Straight but Supportive of Civil Rights to ALL”
A good quote from Wicked comes to mind.
”...There are precious few at ease with moral ambiguities, so we act as though they don’t exist…”
Jazmyne made a rather striking observation in her deep analysis.
“but because of the natural order of things – men and women make babies. ”
And perchance she felt an inkling that went beyond the mere creation of babies, perchance she considered that different gender combinations produce different net dynamics that children would be exposed to. With that realization, and the realization that gender differences transcend gender roles and transcend sexual orientation (an example is that males generally desire a variety of sexual partners regardless their sexual orientation). Perchance Ms. Young realized that such transcendent differences that distinguish the genders might produce a synergy in the the most universal element in marriage through human history, that element being the presence of both genders.
I think it rather judgmental and close minded for you to go and seek to equate her with those who tried to act as though atrocities were not being committed, especially when she gives so much evidence in her piece here that she’s thought long and hard about this.
By HiveRadical · Posted on Nov 10, 07:04 PMi don’t buy the argument that marriage should be between a man and a woman because marriage is about making babies. if that were so, wouldn’t marriage between infertile/sterile/aged couples be as objectionable to those who support Prop 8 as marriage between gay couples? So I think the “men and women make babies” argument is just a rationalization. Many white people rationlized their racism during the civil rights movement to make it appear benign. I’m old enough to remember that. It sickened me then. And it saddens me now. Signed – old white heterosexual woman.
By dormilona · Posted on Nov 10, 08:30 PMOnly the young can find virtue in not voting. Sadly, the reality of a vote doesn’t recognize such virtue. By not voting, you indeed voted for the passage of Prop 8. There is no logical way around that truth. Sorry! And, by the way, marriage isn’t about making babies – because that leaves out thousands of couples who cannot conceive, who choose not to conceive, and millions of older couples who are beyond the years of conception. Such a notion – only for babies – is just plain silly.
By castaway5555 · Posted on Nov 11, 05:00 PMI am a Mormon, and I want to be heard…
In light of recent attacks (both verbal and some physical) against the Mormon church for its support of prop 8, I’d like to share some of my thoughts as a member of the church. First of all, I should make it clear that I did not vote yes on prop 8 just because my church leaders encouraged it. In fact, it was very hard for me to decide how to vote, but I feel I made the MORE correct decision both in religious and secular context.
Let me say that the technicalities of legalizing gay marriage are not what I am afraid of. I’m all for giving gay couples the same rights and tax breaks as straight couples. What I am afraid of, however, are the implications of legalizing gay marriage and the effects on future generations. We already see gay teachers increasingly imposing their lifestyle on susceptible young children in a setting where lifestyle choices should not be discussed at all, traditional or alternate. Also let’s face it, every child who decides that he wants to be gay (or that he was born that way) faces a life with a much higher risk of contracting HIV (and other STDs) no matter how safe he tries to be.
I hope you realize that neither I nor the Mormon church condemns gay people. I personally have many gay friends whom I sincerely call friends and I do not judge them. The last President of the church, President Hinckley, stated on Larry King that our church is not anti-gay, we are simply pro-family. He even admitted that there may very well be a genetic factor contributing to gay tendencies. Being a microbiology student myself (with an emphasis in genetics), I’ll be the first to admit that there may be evidence of genetic influence. That being said, I do not see it as a justification for teaching that living a gay lifestyle is normal and equally acceptable. Geneticists have also shown that there are genes which contribute to alcoholism, but that isn’t justification for our society to embrace alcoholics as a normal and acceptable lifestyle. It would do us well to equally tolerate and love all of God’s children, but that doesn’t mean we have to embrace their life choices.
The family is the most fundamental unit of society, and most/all of the moral, ethical, and social problems in our society are rooted in the degradation of traditional families. Children simply need a mother and father who fulfill their traditional roles in the family; who can come together in the act of love and create life which they will nurture through childhood. Believing this is not being close-minded, it’s what works. I understand that critics make the claim that gay couples can be much better parents and they have much lower divorce rates than traditional couples these days. While they may be right about the latter, gay-couple families are not the answer. We must fix what’s broken, not abandon it. Hopefully you’ve noticed that the “yes on 8” campaign was wholly based on protecting traditional marriage and families, and in no way was against gay people as a part of American society.
Let’s keep the tradition of marriage how it’s always been, and let’s keep gay civil unions the way they have been. The Mormon church is not trying to impose its beliefs on society, it simply encourages society to stand up for the functional family that has been the backbone of society since time began. Please understand, I did not vote yes on prop 8 out of bigotry or hate. I wish there were an easy way to convey that to everyone. I apologize to all who took the “yes on 8” efforts personally. It would not have been the end of the world if prop 8 hadn’t passed, but I’m glad that the majority of California voters understood on Nov. 4 that voting yes was in the best interest of our society.
By Josh · Posted on Nov 11, 10:24 PM