Protecting Marriage

As many of you know, here in California we are in the middle of a very emotionally charged election issue about protecting the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman. Essentially, here is the issue:

"In the year 2000 Proposition 22 was passed by 61% of the people of California to state that 'Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.' This summer four judges on the California Supreme Court overturned this by a close 4-3 vote. This November will be our one and only chance to overturn that decision by a popular vote at the elections." (This information comes from the website www.protectmarriage.com - you can visit this website to get more information about the issues. It's a great resource.)

It's been a very interesting situation, because this is one of the only cases in recent history (if ever) in which the church has taken a stand on what seems to many to be a purely political issue. I know that even for many members of the church there are questions as to whether this is the appropriate course of action. However, the First Presidency has asked the members of the church in California to get involved, both financially and with our time, to support the campaign to fight to keep this definition in the constitution of California. Our ward, together with the other wards in the state, have been putting together groups of people on Saturdays to make phone calls or walk door-to-door, surveying people as to their stand on this issue, offering more information and asking supporters to post signs on their lawns. As we've gotten involved with this, we've had to really think about what we believe on this issue. And we've decided that it matters.

That being said, the campaign needs help. As of right now, our side is losing in the polls. Running this campaign is expensive, and there's so much more to do. We need financial assistance to produce commercials, fliers, signs, and buy TV and radio spots. Those who are fighting against us just received 1.2 million dollars from the ACLU, and have the backing of major companies. They are fighting hard and we need to fight back! WE MUST PROTECT MARRIAGE! There are so many consequences to this. Here are a few facts to dispel myths that the opposition is spreading:

1: Prop. 8 is About Preserving Marriage; It’s Not an Attack on the Gay Lifestyle. Proposition 8 doesn’t take away any rights or benefits from gays or lesbians in domestic partnerships. Under California law, “domestic partners shall have the same rights, protections and benefits” as married spouses. (Family Code §297.5.) There are no exceptions. Proposition 8 will not change this.

2: Prop. 8 does not enshrine discrimination in our Constitution.

3: The legal meaning of marriage is up to the people to decide, not four judges.

4: The narrow decision of the State Supreme Court effectively renders all civil marriage meaningless and will result in tremendous confusion for children. The state Education Code (§51890) requires that teachers instruct children as young as kindergarteners about marriage. If the gay marriage ruling becomes permanent, teachers will have little choice but to teach young children there is no difference between gay marriage and traditional marriage.

It's easy to look at this issue and think, "Really, what does it matter if gays and lesbians have the right to marry? How does that really affect me?" Well, I think the above points address some of that, especially #4. Secondly, I think it's not always easy to see into the future and understand how something like this will affect society as a whole, but for now it's enough for our family that a prophet has said that it matters.

If you have the means and would like to fight for a good cause, please go to this site and donate. And if you feel inclined to do so, feel free to copy this information to your blog. We need to spread the word. Thank you!

*A note to clear up any confusion about this post: for those of you who have Google Reader, you may have seen another version of this post earlier. I deleted it shortly after I posted it because I decided that rather than just copy and paste, I wanted to take the time to write my own thoughts about it. So this is the completed version of my earlier post.