Hi,
I cannot tell you how important this email is to me as well as the cause that lies behind it. These are my words and they are coming from my heart. I ask you to take a few minutes of your day today to read them.
As a gay man, I've dreamed of finding the right man to spend my life with. I'm a traditional guy in some ways, and I've always hoped and prayed that I could one day marry that man, settle down, and live the American Dream that we've all grown up hearing about throughout our lives.
In today's volatile economic times, the one thing that has brought me continual joy is the knowledge that I am finally treated equally under the law. I have the right to marry. This right is not only priceless but runs to the core of my very being.
I've come such a long way. At the age of 16, I vividly remember telling my father that I'd rather be single and lonely for the rest of my life than to be gay, because to me, being gay was an abomination. I know far better now and realize that it is abhorrent for anyone to hate themselves or others because they are gay or lesbian.
Unfortunately, a group of people -- some ignorant, some scared and some homophobic -- are trying to take away the right away from me and so many people that are close to me. They've introduced a ballot measure in California, known as Proposition 8, that will eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry.
This fight isn't about a group of nameless people who want to wreck traditional marriage. Rather, this is about the people that are near and dear to us, share in our laughter, hold us when we cry and help to make our world such a beautiful place. Please consider that when you read my request.
I ask you... I implore you... please help us to keep our right to marry!
This cause extends beyond California, transcends our personal preferences and drives to the core of a founding American principle - a fundamental right to equality for all. This right was enshrined in the Declaration of Independence... that all men are created equal... and rings true today. Please don't let a misguided group of people alter that course of history and write discrimination into the California Constitution.
Don't let other people treat us like an abomination.
Please join me in donating your money, time or effort to the No on Proposition 8 campaign.
For more information, or to donate, please visit http://www.NoOnProp8.com.
Thank you,
Ryan
I cannot tell you how important this email is to me as well as the cause that lies behind it. These are my words and they are coming from my heart. I ask you to take a few minutes of your day today to read them.
As a gay man, I've dreamed of finding the right man to spend my life with. I'm a traditional guy in some ways, and I've always hoped and prayed that I could one day marry that man, settle down, and live the American Dream that we've all grown up hearing about throughout our lives.
In today's volatile economic times, the one thing that has brought me continual joy is the knowledge that I am finally treated equally under the law. I have the right to marry. This right is not only priceless but runs to the core of my very being.
I've come such a long way. At the age of 16, I vividly remember telling my father that I'd rather be single and lonely for the rest of my life than to be gay, because to me, being gay was an abomination. I know far better now and realize that it is abhorrent for anyone to hate themselves or others because they are gay or lesbian.
Unfortunately, a group of people -- some ignorant, some scared and some homophobic -- are trying to take away the right away from me and so many people that are close to me. They've introduced a ballot measure in California, known as Proposition 8, that will eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry.
This fight isn't about a group of nameless people who want to wreck traditional marriage. Rather, this is about the people that are near and dear to us, share in our laughter, hold us when we cry and help to make our world such a beautiful place. Please consider that when you read my request.
I ask you... I implore you... please help us to keep our right to marry!
This cause extends beyond California, transcends our personal preferences and drives to the core of a founding American principle - a fundamental right to equality for all. This right was enshrined in the Declaration of Independence... that all men are created equal... and rings true today. Please don't let a misguided group of people alter that course of history and write discrimination into the California Constitution.
Don't let other people treat us like an abomination.
Please join me in donating your money, time or effort to the No on Proposition 8 campaign.
For more information, or to donate, please visit http://www.NoOnProp8.com.
Thank you,
Ryan
I've already made my contribution to the No on 8 campaign. I'll be voting no on Tuesday.
Hello,
I sent in my absentee ballot three weeks ago, and while I was filling in the "no" box under Prop 8, I remember wishing that I could highlight my vote, circle it and draw little stars and exclaimation points all around it!
I am a straight woman and I married the man of my dreams 12 years ago. My husband will tell you he married the woman of his dreams. EVERYONE has the right to say that, no matter what.
The following is a blog I posted on myspace in response to a Prop 8 supporter who said they are voting yes because God defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. They furthered their display of ignorance by trying to say that a Civil Union will give gay and lesbian couples the rights they want. This is my response to that bunch of BS, please feel free to re-post if you wish to do so.
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If a Civil Union was the same thing as Marriage, it would be called "Marriage." By labeling it something different there is a bias, and that by nature means that there will be a separate and unequal division of rights.
For instance, In New Jersey, they are struggling to have the rights of Civil Union Partners accepted by businesses who are saying that since their personnel policies apply only to married couples, they are not required to make accommodations for same-sex Civil Union couples. Many Civil Union couples in California and other states are experiencing the same bureaucratic roadblocks.
“Marriage” may be defined in The Bible as a union between a man and a woman, but does that mean that The Bible… and The Bible alone… ultimately defines the term, “Marriage”? Absolutely not. That is The Bible’s own definition and all of mankind has a right to dispute it. The term, “marriage” was not invented by the authors of The Bible. Therefore The Bible cannot beg to be the final say in the matter. Some say, “GOD himself defines it as such, and therefore that must be law.” But why does God get to corner the market on “marriage”? Especially when millions of people have… and without protest… gotten married in “The Little White Chapel” by Elvis, or even at City Hall by a Justice of the Peace. Neither place can be argued to be a religious venue, yet “marriage” is accepted at those places without a second thought or protest.
Originally written State and Federal constitutions only grant spousal rights to “married” couples. “Civil Union Partners” are not protected, no matter what anyone tries to say. In order for that to happen, all Constitutional laws will need to be re-written AND passed to include this silly little term “Civil Union.” …a term that right wing bigots have decided to give to gay and lesbian couples in hopes that they would blindly accept it and move on without realizing that they still don’t have the same rights as stupid-ass Britney and K-Fed had during their blissful, four-second union.
Ultimately, I think it all comes down to this: I love my husband and cherish our marriage. And if Frank Shmank and Joe Blow tie the knot legally, I’ll still love my husband just as much and will still and always believe our marriage is special… because someone else’s marriage could never affect ours! Two best friends who are in love and want to make it legal… REALLY legal… should not be denied the right to do so simply because someone else’s closed mind disagrees. Someone they’ll never know and whose lives will never be affected by their love. But unfortunately Joe and Frank’s love, their future, and their rights as Americans could be affected… even ruined… by a stranger’s bigotry. Bigotry concealed as faith.
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All my best to you. I truly hope that you one day get to do what I did and marry the man of your dreams.