Hate Politics

***So I work in the Indiana House of Representatives. For the record, my views are my own, and while they may be shaped by those I work for and around, they reflect only the thoughts of this lonely mind and are in no way representative of any Representative or staffer thereof.***

With that out of the way...

I get to see some pretty cool things on a day-to-day basis. The legislative process can be boring or exciting, heated or dispassionate. Sometimes a group comes in and makes some noise, sometimes the only people there are the Legislative Assistants and the Interns. I am the latter.

Today, Advance America came to the Statehouse. Their agenda was two-fold: abolishing property taxes and supporting Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 7, the proposed amendment to the Indiana Constitution that would effectively ban gay marriage.

I will come out and say that I am against this amendment, completely and wholeheartedly. That said, I appreciate reasoned debate and the right to express your opinion. What I have no tolerance for is ignorance and hatred. Today's rally exhibited both.

This is how marriage should work: the Church (Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Satanist, whatever) can ordain people to get married as they see fit. Marriage is a religious and social construct that ought not be regulated and licensed by the government, be it federal, state or local. If government wants to continue to recognize 'marriage,' they should allow equal-opportunity civil-unions to any group of people that seek it out.

The insistence that "God said being gay is a sin" is a religious statement, not a political one. Church and state are rightly separated in this nation. If you believe being gay is wrong, don't do it. Feel free to share your opinion. But do not force that opinion on others because of your religious dogma(s).

My main problem with those that oppose SJR 7 is that they do so blind of their bigotry. I respect religious people. They are mostly good people. However, their pious attitude smacks of hypocrisy. Christians forget that Christ himself hung around with prostitutes and other outcasts of society. He did not hate them; he accepted them. If you can't draw the parallel there, I can't help you.

But the thing that really pisses me off is watching these supporters of hate legislation bring in their 2-5 kids along with them. Children deserve to be able to grow up without adults shoving their prejudices down the kids' throats. It is a sick thing to see. It hurts me inside to know that those kids will end up hating people later in life because they really don't know any better. It's not fair. It really is akin to child abuse. That's what they say when children are exposed to many other destructive behaviors; this one should be no different.