So, it's not constitutional to discriminate?

Unless you live with your head up your butt, you've no doubt heard that a judge has ruled Proposition 8 to be unconstitutional. In other words, you can't discriminate against people who want to marry somebody of the same sex. Honestly, should this come as a surprise? Of course, all the pro-8 people are very keen to point out the fact that the judge just happens to be gay himself. That's awfully convenient for them, as they don't have to examine the case and decision on its own merits, and now they can play blame-the-gay-guy. It's only a matter of time before we hear the term "activist" judge.

I'm not going to revisit the inanity of all the pro-8 arguments. They're still saying the same old crap, where every single argument rests on some basic logical fallacy - everything from the false analogy to the slippery slope. Instead, I'm just going to write about my reactions to the current ruling.

Obviously, as a fan of equality, I'm pretty darned happy. I read online that there was going to be some rallies in my area to support the judge's decision. One of them was to be in Martinez, but when I drove down there, I didn't see anything going on. So, I headed out to Concord's Todos Santos park, where there was a modest demonstration. I stood with a sign for a bit and got a chance to talk with a few people.

I chatted it up with a lesbian couple, which was really cool. Not that I think that there's anything extra cool about talking to lesbian couples, but on such a historic date as today, it had a bit of extra significance. The one thing that was really cool was that one of them was pregnant, and they were expecting the birth of a son just like I am. Their baby isn't due until November, but we bonded as parents-to-be. The really cool thing is that when I told them that my son's name was going to be Logan, one of them instantly went, "Oh, cool! Wolverine!" The other looked at her in a somewhat puzzled manner. In other words, it was kind of like when I geek out in front of my wife. That conversation really drove home how little difference there really is between a gay couple and a straight one.

Obviously, this conflict isn't over yet. It's still going to go to the Supreme Court, and hopefully Californians can vote on it again and just vote the damn thing away as well. (And you know that's inevitable with the younger generation being more in favor of marriage equality.) Still, hopefully we can maybe compare this to D-Day. It's not the final battle, but it's an important step in getting us to that final victory.

My hope is that when Logan is old enough to have some understanding of politics and civil rights, he'll listen to my stories of attending these kinds of rallies. I hope that when I tell him that gay people were once not allowed to get married that his reaction will be one of confusion, wondering why the hell anybody would ever be against it in the first place. That's the kind of world I hope he grows up in.