My biggest fear for the election is that I may have to try to celebrate a new beginning for this country under a President Obama and a fortified Democratic Congress while seeing my right to marry my partner of ten years taken away from me. I want to celebrate November 4 without mixed emotions but I fear that we may lose the biggest battle in the culture war here in California if Proposition 8 passes.
I know that I am just one in a series of diarists who have alerted you to the fact that the future of marriage equality in California is too close to call. I have a story you may have not heard. My husband and I were among the original 4000 couples to be married in San Francisco in 2004. I diaried our experience here – including our privilege to lead the couples in line in singing the national anthem to counter the protesters who tried to shut down the marriages.
This is not just a lesbian and gay issue but a critical juncture in the culture war against forces of intolerance. If we can beat them back here despite the massive money and volunteers the churches and hate groups have mustered, they will think twice about interfering in another state’s policies down the road.
You must know by now that the proponents of Prop 8 have raised over $25 million to fund misleading ads that play on age-old myths about gay rights toppling our churches and corrupting our youth.
We have made some progress in the last couple of weeks to raise money to counter these smears, but still lag behind the bigots and haters who are spreading their lies around the state. Two out of the last three polls show Prop 8 leading and the last one was within the margin of error.
Just today we heard about donors to No on Prop 8 being intimidated to donate to Yes on 8 or face "outing". I hope that the good and fair people of California will be disgusted by this tactic no matter how they feel about marriage equality. I hope but I can’t take that chance.
Please read about the unbridled joy my husband and I felt when we were married in 2004 and help us ensure that there is a day when that right can never be taken away from us.
There are more worthy causes and candidates than I can mention right now, but I am pleading, as a charter member of the DailyKos community, to help me today by kicking some cash to the No on 8 forces. Help us make it a clean sweep on election night and deliver the biggest blow yet to the culture warriors out there before they show up in your state.
I promise to give you the play-by-play of our wedding when we know it will be legal forever.