There is hatred that I see every day on the television that has me wanting to punch many people in their faces. These adverts are trying to say that it's wrong. That certain people shouldn't be allowed to do the same things as others. The only image this brings to mind is the racial discrimination of the late fifties and early sixties, when students had to be escorted by federal troops into schools, restaurants didn't serve "their kind", and one woman, tired of being treated unfairly, refused to give up her seat on a city bus.
I had always thought of California as a relatively tolerant state. Every race and religion, so it would seem, are welcomed here. "Medicinal" cards are given out for those who "need" that drug that so many other states would arrest you for if you had it in your possession. People generally seem to let everyone else live the way they want to live without making them feel that they can't be themselves. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe I just never saw this other side of California until these commercials began airing recently.
I now get angry every time one of these ads comes on my TV. And it makes me angrier that they're even there to make me angry in the first place. I made up my mind the moment I heard about this proposition months ago. I feel that, for one thing, there are far too many more important things going on in our nation, let alone the world, to be so worried about people falling in love. And, more importantly, we are all human beings. We all deserve the same rights. And we all should, at least, be able to declare our love to our significant others in a ceremony, in front of our friends and families, and have it be accepted and recognized by everyone, no matter who we are or how we live our lives.
I realize that so much of this has to do with religion. And I understand that certain religions don't believe it possible for two people of the same sex to ever truly be in love. I know there are even some out there who are against inter-racial relationships. But who is anyone to say that two people who are deeply in love can't make that ultimate promise to each other? That they simply cannot be together the way everyone else gets to because of who they are? If that's how things are going to be, then we might as well try to outlaw any marriage that isn't between a man and a woman who are of the same ethnicity and religious background, and make it illegal to get married anywhere other than a place of worship.
I, myself, am heterosexual. I have a few friends who are not. I don't know if any of them would like to be married someday, but I would be truly saddened if these outrageous beliefs out there were to prohibit them from that right. It sickens me to see that there is still this much intolerance and prejudice when we, as a nation, have made so much effort over the years to give equal rights to all races and religions and sexes. Why is it so hard to accept someones sexual orientation when we have come this far? No one knows how love works, yet there are those who think that we can put limits on it? To me, that is simply ridiculous. It is times such as these that I almost feel ashamed to be human.
I had always thought of California as a relatively tolerant state. Every race and religion, so it would seem, are welcomed here. "Medicinal" cards are given out for those who "need" that drug that so many other states would arrest you for if you had it in your possession. People generally seem to let everyone else live the way they want to live without making them feel that they can't be themselves. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe I just never saw this other side of California until these commercials began airing recently.
I now get angry every time one of these ads comes on my TV. And it makes me angrier that they're even there to make me angry in the first place. I made up my mind the moment I heard about this proposition months ago. I feel that, for one thing, there are far too many more important things going on in our nation, let alone the world, to be so worried about people falling in love. And, more importantly, we are all human beings. We all deserve the same rights. And we all should, at least, be able to declare our love to our significant others in a ceremony, in front of our friends and families, and have it be accepted and recognized by everyone, no matter who we are or how we live our lives.
I realize that so much of this has to do with religion. And I understand that certain religions don't believe it possible for two people of the same sex to ever truly be in love. I know there are even some out there who are against inter-racial relationships. But who is anyone to say that two people who are deeply in love can't make that ultimate promise to each other? That they simply cannot be together the way everyone else gets to because of who they are? If that's how things are going to be, then we might as well try to outlaw any marriage that isn't between a man and a woman who are of the same ethnicity and religious background, and make it illegal to get married anywhere other than a place of worship.
I, myself, am heterosexual. I have a few friends who are not. I don't know if any of them would like to be married someday, but I would be truly saddened if these outrageous beliefs out there were to prohibit them from that right. It sickens me to see that there is still this much intolerance and prejudice when we, as a nation, have made so much effort over the years to give equal rights to all races and religions and sexes. Why is it so hard to accept someones sexual orientation when we have come this far? No one knows how love works, yet there are those who think that we can put limits on it? To me, that is simply ridiculous. It is times such as these that I almost feel ashamed to be human.
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