My opinion of California's proposition 8?

Since my Facebook status says i'm going to blog on Proposition 8, I should probably do it. (There just isn't enough space in a status statement to say what I feel.) I thought I'd start with photos of my family. The reason why I chose these is because the people in each of these photos are all blood related, but an outsider could say - we are all different. We represent different ethnicities. We belong to different political parties. We uphold different religious views. But that doesn't keep us from loving each other. It doesn't keep us from spending time together. It doesn't make us different. Unique yes, but different...?

Because of our different religious views, when we choose to marry, we marry in different places. The courthouse, a family member's home, a Presbyterian church, an LDS temple.

I'm not here to preach to you how you should think. This picture of my uncle on his mission is a joke. No one can tell you or force you how to believe, how to think, how to vote. We are privileged to live in the United States where we are blessed with the freedom to make our own decisions, choose who we vote for. Yeah Obama! - oops, sorry, I let that slip in.

But hearing people say that the LDS Church is to "blame" for the passing of proposition 8? I mean really? I'm sure any religion would like to think that their members are all 100% obedient to anything they are asked to do. But it just doesn't happen that way.

I remember a few years back when Gordon B Hinckley, former President of the LDS Church, asked the sisters of the Church to wear only one earring in each ear. I know many of you may find that silly. But you know what, I took out the second pair in my ears and have only worn one pair of earrings in my ears ever since. No big deal. But I work for the Church in their main office building, and I see women everyday who wear two pairs of earrings in their ears. They still work there. They are still members in good standing who attend Church meetings each Sunday. They just decided that how many earrings they wear is not a measure of their faith. And it is not my place to judge them.

A few weeks ago the Church stated their stance on proposition 8. The Church even donated some money to an organization fighting for the passing of the proposition. They encouraged members of the Church to support Proposition 8. The Church did not say - vote yes or lose your membership. Again, members were given a choice. Please do not judge any member for supporting the proposition or not.

Proposition 8 did not pass because every member of the Church showed up to the polls and voted yes. I can promise you, not every member voted yes. I can promise you not every member is even of voting age. I can promise you that even if all those of voting age and not of age showed up and voted yes, it still would not have caused the proposition to pass. There just are not that many LDS Church members in California. (there's a great group on Facebook that my friends sent me with more detail: Get the Facts about the LDS Church and Proposition 8 if you are a Facebook member.)

I am sorry that a proposition that many of my friends and family wanted to go away and not pass did indeed pass. But please stop pointing fingers at the LDS Church. If you know me, you know where I stand on this issue. This is not the reason I am blogging about this though. I am just tired of people always having to find somewhere to put the blame. The proposition did pass. For those who did not want it to pass, go back, look at what was said. Find ways to get what you want. If it really is what you want, fight for it.

I am sympathetic to the cause (ok, I sort of stated my views). But I do not compare this to the fight for equality that black Americans experienced, for example. I can look at someone and see that they are black. I cannot look at someone and see their sexual preference (usually.) Those who live any lifestyle need to be comfortable with their choice.

I remember when one of my brothers got the first few of his tattoos. We were at a family reunion and we going to go ride out on the wave runners. He didn't want to take off his t-shirt before putting on his life jacket because he didn't want to listen to people make comments on his tattoos (funny, if he only knew how many of our family members have tattoos). I confronted him and told his that if he was going to make the choice to get inked, he should not be afraid to show the ink. He should recognize that people may not like them. But who cares. And I don't think he cares anymore.

If you choose to live an alternative lifestyle (and I do not think it's an "alternative" lifestyle, it is a lifestyle - but that seems to be the current PC term), no matter what it is, be brave and accept the reactions you may observe from others. It is your choice to dress extravagantly those who do. It is not my cousins' choice to wake up in the morning and put on their black skin, or their Mexican skin. I have plenty of friends who are gay and you wouldn't know it passing them on the street. They are awesome people. Have they experienced prejudice? Sure they have. But they wouldn't say it's like that experienced by blacks in the American history.

People are people. Race, religion, sexual preference - they are PEOPLE. My Church did not take away the rights of my friends. Some friends grew up in the LDS Church and when they came to accept and act upon their feelings, they left the Church because they did not agree with the doctrine of the Church. Fine. Again, that's our right. We can choose to belong to the Church we agree with. I am as heterosexual as they come. I belong the Church that I know to be true. And as I always told my friends of other faiths growing up, never once did a Sunday School teacher tell me things that were wrong about the Catholic Church, I was not taught to stay away from one of my friends because of what they believed or how they lived. I was taught at home and at Church to love and accept everyone.

I hope that people will stop insulting the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I totally understand the reason the Church is so much in favor of the proposition. The LDS Church is not the reason the proposition passed. The people of California are the reason that it passed. End of story.

Sorry, this is WAY too long, and so random in the points I mention, but it's a blog, not a paper I'm writing for school and editing so I get high marks. I'm just getting a little fed up and needed to get this out. Appreciate that we live in a democracy and that the people get to decide. Be thankful that we still live with that freedom. No one can take that freedom away. No one can force us what to think. But part of living in a democracy is accepting the choices made by the people who exercise that right to vote. We may not always be happy with the outcome, but continue to peacefully fight for the future you want.