Hitting the Streets
Today was the day I have been dreading. I had a shakey stomach all morning and was very nervous. I tried to think of a good excuse not to go, but couldn’t come up with one. So this morning I went door to door to see what people think about Proposition 8. I arrived at the high school parking lot late, secretly hoping that for some reason there would be nobody there or that there would be nothing left to do. It’s not that I don’t feel strongly about the issue. I’ve devoted a page on this blog to it, but I do not like talking to people when I’m not sure what they are going to say back. I could never debate anyone in real time because I need to sit and process everything and don’t come up with quick answers ever.
Luckily when I went to sign in, there was an odd number of women, so I was able to join Tina and Kirsten as part of a group of three. We had a map and a list of homes with registered voters. There was a very general type of script that we followed, and we were there basically to find out how people are thinking of voting. And if they support Prop 8 ask if they might want to put a sign up in their yard when the election gets closer.
The first street we knocked on was full of people that were either not home, or didn’t answer the door for whatever reason. It was a good warm up though. At least I was trying and actually knocking on doors. Then we discovered that we didn’t really need to do that end of the street because it wasn’t on our list and moved on. The other women I was with started getting people home, and were doing great. I was starting to wonder if God was sending me to the empty houses so I couldn’t screw anything up. Then I started to get people at home too.
Most people were nice, but didn’t want to chat much. I’m the same way when someone comes to my door, so I wasn’t surprised. I do have a couple of memorable doors though.
I met one woman who was standing in her doorway waiting for me to approach her. I wasn’t expecting to see her there, and she didn’t look happy. I was wearing a “Vote 2008” tag but she seemed to think I was out for the “no” team. She didn’t want to tell me what her feelings were on Prop 8 until I told her that I was voting yes. She then talked for several minutes about how she thought letting same sex couple marry was fine until she started doing some research. She had a lot to say about the lawsuits she and her husband have read about against photographers and others whose businesses have been attacked because they don’t want to support a gay marriage, and why she doesn’t want her kids told stories in school of a “prince looking for a prince.” She seemed glad to have met me, and told me how she did a lot of knocking doors for political candidates.
One apartment had a noisy dog barking when I knocked, so I waited for someone to come. Ten seconds later, I knocked again. Then I saw a forearm and hand appear and slowly close the window next to the front door, so I waited a while longer knowing that someone was home. Nothing after another 20 seconds, so I left a flyer on the door and moved on.
Another place I went to, after knocking I heard a dog start barking and a man yelling angrily at the dog to “shut up and sit down” several times over again before he answered the door. Once he answered, the dog continued to bark and he yelled at it a few more times to “sit.” I gave him my usual introduction which went something like, “Hi I’m Amy and I’m here to see if you’ve heard about Proposition 8.” He said he wasn’t sure what that was, and I told him that it would amend the California Constitution so that only marriage between man and woman would be recognized. He said, “I think they should all be able to get married, so I’m for that, yes.” I told him a yes vote supports marriage between a man and woman only and he said, “Oh, I think that anyone should have the right to get married if they want.” I asked, “So you are a definite no vote then?” He said he was, and then went on, thinking that I agreed with him, and got more verbal. “That’s just intolerant, and prejudice. People should marry whoever they want. The government should get out of the marriage business if they don’t want to let them. Don’t you think?” I looked him in the eye and said, “actually I’m voting yes.” His eyebrows furrowed and he told me angrily, “people like you are intolerant! I think this should have happened decades ago, centuries ago…” I answered, “I’m not here to fight, I just want to see what people are thinking. I’ll let you get back to your Saturday and agree to disagree.” I then turned and walked away and heard him call out to me from his doorway, “I won’t agree to disagree (mumble, mumble)….” That was worst of my experiences. I wasn’t scared by him, even though he was incredibly rude, and I wasn’t ashamed of my position. In fact, I felt like I had handled the situation pretty well, and was ready to move on to the next door.
In talking with people today I realized that most people don’t understand how changing the laws to allow same-sex marriage will actually cause others to lose their rights. There is no other group of people that have the level of protection that this would provide. Many people will be slapped with fines etc. if they use their religious beliefs as the reason for refusing to participate in same-sex weddings, adoptions, etc. The schools will be allowed, and required, to introduce the concept of homosexuality to children regardless of what their family’s beliefs on the subject.
Tina asked two men walking past us today what they thought about prop 8 and one was decidedly for same-sex marriage and the other was undecided and said he has more important things to worry about than this proposition. He was focusing more on the presidential election and things like the economy. He said “Why the he** should I care who can get married or not?” Scary.
To educate myself, and in preparation for this volunteer work, I went to a discussion of Proposition 8 hosted by a friend of mine that is also an attorney. She has done a ton of research, and had lots of information. I posted the outline she put together as a page if you’d like to take a look.
Read MoreI’ve Added a New Page
In the right hand column under “Blog Pages” I added a new page called, “Vote Yes on Prop 8.” Listed on this page are some posts and articles that illustrate why I feel it is important for every California voter to vote Yes on Prop 8 this November. Obviously I feel very strongly about this issue and will even venture out of my comfort zone knocking doors or making phone calls to help educate my neighbors. If you have any interesting articles to add, let me know. Thanks!
Why Legislate Morality?
More on the proposed amendment to California’s Constitution this November.
In our society, the theology of “live-and-let-live” or claiming that others’ choices are none of our business is the very attitude that brings about the decline of our people. In an article written by Maurine Proctor of Meridian Magazine, she goes further into the impact of allowing gay marriage on our country:
From The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints:
In a new letter that will be read over the pulpit to California congregations, the First Presidency is advising members that, “Our best efforts are required to preserve the sacred institution of marriage.”
“We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to assure that marriage is legally defined as being between a man and a woman.”
“The Church’s teachings and position on this moral issue are unequivocal,” the letter reads.
“Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God, and the formation of families is central to the creator’s plan for his children.
“Children are entitled to be born within this bond of marriage.”…
How this affects the whole country:
What is disturbing is that unlike Massachusetts, where same-sex marriage is confined only to those who are residents of the state, California has no such law. Thus residents of other states, whose marriage laws do not allow genderless marriage can come to California, get their nuptials, and then head home claiming their marriage is legal….
Family fragmentation is a public issue with public consequences. For example, in April of 2008 the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, along with others, issued a study showing that family fragmentation in the United States is costing taxpayers $112 billion annually…
Why defining marriage is important to families:
Of course, life isn’t perfect and sometimes people become single parents — a spouse dies or parents experience a painful divorce. Although we can’t always protect bad things from happening, there is one thing we can do. Never intentionally create motherless or fatherless children… Study after study shows that children fare best in a home with their own mother and father. They have less delinquency, less drug usage, less tendency for suicide, less abuse, less tendency to live in poverty. They have higher grades, more security, more self-confidence…
Any law that dilutes the definition and purpose of marriage leads to fewer marriages and more children being born out of wedlock. Sadly, we have already witnessed these alarming trends in Scandinavian countries that legalized same-sex marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships more than 10 years ago, and now the out of wedlock birthrate is between 50 to 60 percent (depending on the country).
“Acts done in the name of freedom have shut down the freedom of the religious.”
Read MoreWhen Massachusetts adopted homosexual marriage, the state left a Boston Catholic adoption service no choice but to shut down or agree to place adopted children with homosexual couples. This is not because the state funded the charity, but only because the charity had to depend on a state license to operate…
After New Jersey passed civil union legislation, the state removed part of the tax-exempt status from a church in Ocean Grove after the church refused, on religious grounds, to offer its gazebo for a civil union service. In Massachusetts, parents lost the right to be notified when their child’s public school was going to teach on the topic of homosexuality.
Harvard Law professor Mary Ann Glendon wrote in 2004, during the same-sex marriage debate in Massachusetts, ”The experience in other countries reveals that once these arrangements become law, there will be no live-and-let-live policy for those who differ. Gay-marriage proponents use the language of openness, tolerance, and diversity, yet one foreseeable effect of their success will be to usher in an era of intolerance and discrimination … The ax will fall most heavily on religious persons and groups that don’t go along.”…
California and Marriage
In November California voters will be given the opportunity to add to the California Constitution. The wording of the amendment will make it clear that marriage is meant to be between a man and a woman. My church’s Proclamation On the Family is clear that this is how God intends marriage to be. I hope to provide some information on this topic until it is time to vote. To start I will quote ProtectMarriage.com which my church and my family is supporting:
Read MoreWhy It’s Needed:
1. Children need the love of both a father and a mother. The body of research-proof is overwhelming and consistent.
2. Traditional marriage deserves protection because of its contributions to societal well-being. The historic purpose for governmental recognition of marriage has been about children and society, not the relationship of two adults.
3. Expanding the definition of marriage by including homosexual relationships adds to the continued disregard for marriage’s ultimate purpose. Where it has been legalized, same-sex marriage decreases the total number of marriages while increasing illegitimacy. Nine European nations have had same-sex marriage since the early 90s—and just 2 percent of same-sex couples in these countries ever bother to marry, while there has been a 46 percent increase in out-of-wedlock births.
4. Expanding the definition of marriage begs the question: Why stop at same-sex couples? What legal basis would remain to limit the number of partners in marriage?
5. Legalizing same-sex marriage necessarily mandates changes to all California public-school curriculum. Children will be subjected to a mandatory acceptance of homosexuality and all of its practices. Public school curriculum will actively discriminate against the values of the majority of its community’s families.
6. Religious freedom has been the cornerstone of success for the United States of America. It is naïve to believe that when acceptance of same-sex marriage is legislatively or judicially forced upon citizens via employment law, education, or other government mandates, rights of religious liberty won’t decrease.
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