Tonight most of us are pretty happy about the District Court ruling which strikes down Proposition 8. A friend (non-gay) and formerly LDS, reminded me of a great movie quote which I'll share here:
"America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You gotta want it bad, 'cause its gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say: You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country can't just be a flag; the symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms."
Well, here we see it. People condemning homosexual marriage as morally wrong, and others reminding them the constitution doesn't give them the right to exclude anyone from equal protection (and rights) of the law. Today I celebrate this ruling. Once upon a time I would have condemned it. Yes, my friends, I have changed, and grown. I pray America will too.
That movie quote is one of my favorite. I can recite it almost word for word. I actually use it in my teachings of social studies when we discuss things that my students may find controversial.
ReplyDeleteYes, the movie ("The American President") is one of my favorites, too.
I am also excited to see that the judge over-turned Proposition 8. However, I also know that the fight is not over. The opposition will most certainly appeal. Will this make it to the Supreme Court? I don't know, but I would not be surprised.
Hope is alive!