Proposition 8

Firstly, I am thrilled that Barack Obama is going to be our next President. Thinking about recruits having this set of knowledge shouted to them in boot camp has me almost in tears:

DI: Recruits!
Rs: Ma'am! (Sir! Whatever.)
DI: Who is the President of the United States?
Rs: The Honorable Mr. Obama!
DI: Who is the Vice President of the United States?
Rs: The Honorable Mr. Biden!

However, right on the heels of the joy of having him elected came a punch in the stomach that turned that joy into mere relief: the passage of Proposition 8 in California.

See, I'm straight, or, at least, I have no evidence otherwise (I believe sexual orientation is more of a fluid thing than we generally consider it to be within our culture). I live in Texas, a state where I'm sure that something similar has passed (I haven't researched it, and, frankly, I don't care to know, as I already find most of Texas politically repulsive). Yet, although I am not directly affected, and although I do not know anyone personally who is (I have one friend in CA who is gay, but he has not been married and probably will not be anytime soon), I feel as if this has made me a little bit less, like this has removed some of my quality of life, if that makes sense. It aches, knowing that this passed. I'm irate, and I'm hurt.

I posted a note on Facebook asking for input on it, and I'm horrified at the response that I've gotten from one person in particular. I've heard that arguing with religious people is like playing Calvinball. It won't work because they will make up their own rules as they go that fit within the narrow interpretation of logic that is their religion. While this is not true for all religious people, it is certainly true for the religious person in question, who consistently rewords things that I've already refuted, uses her religion as a supposedly valid argument even though I made it very clear at the beginning that religion was inadmissible as evidence that gay marriage is teh badz. I am playing Calvinball with a fellow INTP (I know her from List), and it is frustrating to the extreme because I know there is no way to paint her into a corner. She will simply find more bullshit excuses to continue being bigoted, no matter how often I disprove her or show her that her logic is ineffective at best.

This is what we're arguing against.

This has to go to the courts. There is no way to win this argument because we are not having a logical argument; we are having an argument where one side bases their arguments on facts and reality and the other side just makes it up as they go.

I've kept on with her, mainly because I hate someone else having the last word - especially when it's as ridiculous a last word as the ones that she puts in. However, I'm disheartened at this point because I was hoping this was a topic that could be approached with mutual good faith.

We can't; we just have to tell them to shut up and deal with the fact that some people they don't like get civil rights, too.

And I'm very pissed that I can't enjoy Obama being elected without thinking about this.