I think the idea of gay marriage is so disturbing to some older adults that they don’t think out what exactly they are reacting to. It may seem at some level like they are voting on the private behavior of those individuals, not whether they should have rights. I know many clergy that have an attitude based on their reading of scripture that prohibits same sex marriage. They should never perform a wedding for a gay couple. Ever. No is going to ask them to perform such a wedding, it’s a day about love, why ask someone who hates?
But should they be able to stop people of other faiths from getting married? Should a Native American that isn’t Christian be barred from marrying? Should a Buddhist? Should a Catholic stop a Baptist? If marriage means only for procreation should women over 50 be barred from ever getting married? Does anyone propose fertility tests as a requirement for a marriage license?
On the web site www.letcaliforniaring.org, a story is posted from a guy who was with his partner for 50 years. When the partner died unexpectedly, he could not bury him, he could not get social security benefits, he lost his home. If the late partner had been married five times for ten years each in those 50 years, each of his ex-wives would get social security benefits.
There are many other stories there, many of them from seniors who have tried for decades and some never lived to have “the happiest day of their life.”
When you watch the commercial, the young bride who meets obstacle after obstacle, finally realizing she can’t marry the person she loves, do you think of someone you disapprove of? Or someone you love? California is the only state to approve same sex marriage through the legislative process, and we’ve done it twice. AB 849 and AB43 both would have made it legal but the Governor vetoed. The State Supreme Court ruled on the In re Marriage Cases and found it was legal. Prop 8 will try to reverse all this. All I suggest is that we think before we vote.