Proposition 8 will soon see its vote and perhaps the demise of a hard-fought battle to give same-sex couples the same authenticity as heterosexual couples.
I've been dismayed, discouraged and downright angered by what I see as a relative lack of consideration of the issue of gay marriage (as apposed to civil unions and domestic partnerships) so neglected by the American left outside of those in the gay community. That said as a way to explain why I needed to write this post.
I hear often, both in the blogosphere and in the world at large, this shrugging of shoulders about why same-sex couples can't just be happy with a civil union or domestic partnerships. To me, that's like asking why blacks once were not content simply to be free of their shackles but to actually, say, gain the right to vote!
Firstly, people who don't really care about this issue bandy about the terms "domestic partnership" and "civil union" as if they are one and the same. They are not and they vary from state to state.
For your information, I've linked to a couple of articles that explain the terms and their legal implications in a basic way. No sense in reinventing the wheel. There is plenty of good information already written on the topic.
In closing, I'd like to say that yes, I am angry. I'm furious, in fact. And. I'm straight. I will also be honest and say that were it not for my daughter who intends to marry her beloved partner next summer, I might feel very much the same way as those who can't wrap their heads around the fact that we need to stop treating gay men and women like second-class citizens and tossing them a bone with the label of civil union or domestic partnership. I'm grateful for the opportunities I've had to rethink and reshape my feelings on this issue because of my daughter. I thank her heartedly for letting love be my guide in on this issue and I take it as a lesson I can bring to other issues I may lack clarity on because they are further from my field of vision.
Civil Unions vs. Gay Marraige
Marriage or Bust: Why Civil Unions Are Not Enough
