And the problem is what, exactly?

I hate to sound like such a one-issue guy, but I have a tendency to be a bit obsessive/compulsive, so I have a hard time not being baffled by the pro-prop 8 crowd.

Today I received a pro-8 flyer in the mail. It was the flyer version of the ad that talks about how kids will be "taught gay marriage" in school. Their evidence of this is that there was a couple in Massachusetts whose son was taught that not only do girls marry boys, but sometimes boys marry boys and girls marry girls. Well, in the state of Massachusetts, isn't that true? The ad then went on to say, as though you should be gravely alarmed, HE WAS IN SECOND GRADE!

Okay, if there are any pro-prop 8 people out there, can you at least be honest enough to admit that they're engaging in fear-mongering? I mean, assuming that this would even happen in California (which doesn't sound like it's being "taught" so much as the teacher was just stating something that's a fact. I guess I "taught" regicide when we read Macbeth), what exactly is the big deal? What do you think is going to happen to your second-grader? Is he going to go, "Hey! I'm gonna marry a guy too!" (Actually, the really little kids probably would say that, as it's a known fact that girls carry cooties. Still, for the majority of them, once those hormones kick in, they'll quickly lose that idea.)

What exactly is going to happen? Does anybody really out there believe that somebody who's not already inclined towards homosexual tendencies is going to engage in them if they hear that? Or that somebody who is inclined would not get the idea if they never hear it? You're attracted to whom you're attracted to, and that's it.

I'm starting to think that there are a lot more people out there with homosexual tendencies than even the most liberal people would have us believe. You can believe me or not believe me, but I'm being totally honest when I say that I never once considered having a sexual relationship with a man. And I went to San Francisco State University. I'm sure that if I really wanted to make that sort of a thing happen, I could have. The thought never even entered my mind.

I believe it when gay people say that they knew when they were little that they were gay. I knew that I liked the opposite sex ever since I was a little kid - even though I'd deny it out loud. (I wonder why kids do that?) You could have shown me gay porn and I wouldn't have changed my mind. (Watch, somebody's going to take me out of context and say that I advocate showing children gay porn! Well, it's only a matter of time, since those "nature" shows have animal porn on all the time.)

Anyway, just in case there are some pro-8 people out there, I'd really like you to think of what you're doing when you go into the voting booth. You might personally not think of yourself as hateful and homophobic, but that's exactly who you're siding with. Not to mention the fact that you're siding with a side that has to lie to make their case - you know, the whole bit about churches being forced to marry gays and losing tax-exempt status? If you actually believe that, you're sorely ignorant as to what the Constitution guarantees us in this country.

So, on your side are the liars and fear-mongers. And who are you potentially hurting? Families. Maybe not a family like yours, but a family nonetheless. Whether you like it or not, there are kids out there being raised by same-sex couples, and you'd deny them the same rights that you'd deny the children of straight couples. No matter how you feel about homosexuality, are you going to hold them responsible? (And I've recently done some reading on this issue - the American Psychological Association's research shows that these kids aren't any less well-adjusted than kids with more traditional parents.) Of course, there are those who'd say that kids will tease them and bully them because of their parents. Well, you could make the same argument about kids of mixed race, couldn't you? Are we going to make that illegal again?

Anyway, I have to keep reminding myself that even if this does go through, it is only a matter of time before there are enough Californians who are willing to re-amend the Constitution. And fifty years from now, what do you want to say to the youth of America? Which side do you think you'll be more proud to have been a part of? How do you think history will judge you?

As a student of history, I gotta say that it's not looking good for you.