Pejman Mokhtari
Imagine being in a hospital with 30 seconds to talk, eat, see, smell, touch, live and say goodbye to everyone — except the love of your life.
Now, imagine how same-sex couples would feel if one of them was on their death bed in critical condition and their partner was not allowed to see them. Why would this be? They are not legally married.
If same-sex partners are lucky, there might be a plate glass window they can press their faces up against and speak one last word to their partner.
Proposition 8 eliminates the right of same-sex couples to be legally married and provides that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California.
Luckily for California, the Supreme Court ruled that Proposition 22 — which banned same-sex marriages — was considered unconstitutional, and gay/lesbian marriages became legal.
The amount of gay/lesbian marriages in the first three months of passage surpassed the amount of same-sex marriages in Massachusetts in its first four years.
Every little girl imagines herself getting married to her prince, but never imagines a princess stealing her heart.
Ellen Pontac found her princess in Shelly Bailes, and they legalized their marriage on the steps of the Supreme Court when Proposition 22 was thrown into the garbage.
However, with every good thing there is always some bad.
Voting against Proposition 8 is not saying you support gay/lesbian partners or you support their right to marry. It says you support love.
How could anyone take the right of marriage from somone else on grounds of gender? You cannot help who you love, whether it is a woman or a man.
Life is about respect and acceptance. If you cannot accept, then at least show respect.
Gay/lesbian partners want their marriages to be recognized the same as heterosexual couples, bringing equality into the world.
When you walk down the street and see two men or two women holding hands, think about the fact that those individuals are willing to put aside the glares and stares to prove the courage and love they have for one another.
It hurts to not be accepted. You feel the world is in this huge bubble and no matter how hard you want to squeeze in, you can not. However, life is not about fitting in.
I realized that I am meant to stand out and be proud of being gay. I never want to be what everyone expects me to be.
Variety and diversity is what makes this country what it is and every day we have to come together and accept everyone for who they are.
Nobody has the right to judge anyone else and their future, but many people do anyway. Two tiny checkboxes, “yes” or “no,” will decide the future for every same-sex couple in California.
A small check mark can make millions happy, and allow gay/lesbian partners to live the lives they have always wanted to. If people can change, then maybe the world can change as well.
We all have the ability to make a difference, we just need to have faith that it takes one person to step out and say something. Rosa Parks did it, Lady Godiva did it, Mahatma Gandhi did it, Nelson Mandela did it and now Barack Obama is doing it.
Remember, everyone has to stand up for something or else you will fall for anything.
Vote no on Proposition 8 and show your love, not hate.
()