That Other Important American Vote

Wayne Besen provides some data on the upcoming vote on gay marriage in California. It shows that whilst the potential electorate is pretty equally split, the pro gay marriage "likely to vote" electorate is slightly in the lead.

For those not in the know, Proposition 8 is a proposed measure to amend the Californian Constitution to ban gay marriage, something which has now been legal for a few months. Personally I think it is quite right for this to be on the ballot, I think that it gives the gay community in California the chance to get democratic approval for the legal status of gay marriage. Winning this is the only way to silence the anti-gay marriage bastards (the reasonable, sane ones anyway).

The anti gay marriage brigade are wrong. Their attempts to politicize marriage are disturbing, and downright underhand. Marriage, something they seem to place plenty of importance on, is being treated by them as just another chip in their culture wars.

Their idea that having gay people marry is somehow going to diminish heterosexual marriage is ludicrous, and the suggestion that it'll be a slippery slope into bestial and paedophilic marriages is bizarre. If we use that logic surely bringing sex into the concept of marriage is the first part of that slippery slope? Thus rendering legalising heterosexual marriage as the opening round in the degeneration of marriage.

Of course, personally, I feel marriage should not be any business of Government and only the business of the courts as part of sorting out problems with the contract. I still completely agree with Peter Tatchell's proposal which basically says "Mutual care and commitment, not sex, should be the basis of partnership rights." Now that would truly be a beautiful thing.