Prop H8TE

Hate is a vile emotion that poisons our psyche and blinds us. It stifles our thought process. It causes us to make decisions out of fear and ignorance rather than clear reasoning and legal validity. It has no place in our heads and hearts and it definitely has no place in government. This sentiment is made abundantly apparent in the Equal Protection Clause.

The clause is a portion of the 14th amendment to the United States Constitution. It states that all citizens are entitled to equal protection under the law. This means that no matter what your race, gender, or sexual orientation you’re entitled to equal respect, equal dignity and equal representation.

On May 15th 2008, 4 out of 3 California Supreme Court Justices voted to overturn a ban on gay marriage. They did this because marriage is a basic civil right and denying any person this right is unlawful. They did this because persecution based on sexual orientation should not be tolerated. They did this because, as former Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan once wrote, “In view of the Constitution, in the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant, ruling class of citizens. There is no caste here.” Which means no group of people has the right to deny any other group of people their basic rights.



On November 5th 2008, Prop 8 did just that! It overturned the decision made by the California Supreme Court seven months prior and amended the California State Constitution’s definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Prop 8 ultimately declared that Gays were second class citizens capable of being stripped of basic rights because religious zealots and other small-minded people found the thought of same sex marriage sacrilege and/or revolting.

The reasoning behind not wanting gay marriage is illogical. The fact that it was even on the ballot is utterly ridiculous. This past Saturday, November 15th 2008, a nationwide protest against the ratification of Prop 8 was held. Massive amounts of people rallied in support of gay marriage and civil rights. It was a hugely important step but the fight has just begun. I implore everyone to get involved in their communities and do what they can to reverse this decision no matter what their personal view or tolerance level towards same sex relationships is. One of the most often quoted phrases from the declaration of Independence has something to do with man’s inalienable rights. They are listed as being “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. Denying gay people the right to marry those they love is a blatant denial of their right to pursue happiness. It is hateful, it is wrong and you have the power to stop it. Choose to.

And watch the vid below. Ashton is cute and his passion is inspiring.