out with the bad, in with the good...?

thomas friedman might be one of my new favorite people. i've shared this article w/ some people, but i want everyone to read it. he wrote this op-ed piece on november 5.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/opinion/05friedman.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

i think most everyone who reads this is going to agree that the obama win was absolutely necessary and the only way america could survive any longer. at least, that's my opinion. :) gosh if sarah palin was anywhere near DC.... anyway.

speaking of terrible ideas/thoughts/actions, while the election of obama was a great big giant leap in the right direction for social justice issues, the ban on gay marriages in CA, AZ, and FL is quite another big hop backwards. not only that, but there were also amendments passed to prohibit unmarried couples from adopting children (including straight couples). in this article, http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/05/state.laws/, ron prentice is quoted as proclaiming the greatness of traditional marriage. i would like to ask him one question: what the bleep is traditional marriage? and why are we so afraid of anything other than tradition? it used to be tradition to segregate white people from african americans. it used to be tradition for women to not work or be educated or have the right to vote. these traditions aren't the standard anymore, they are the exception. the people of the GLBT community and their supporters are not going to make marriage any less sacred or important. if anything, allowing a couple of any sexual orientation the same rights as everyone else will strengthen the definition and meaning of marriage. marriage obviously is important and sacred if the gays want in on it. and why wouldn't gay couples be any less committed to each other than straight couples? isn't the divorce rate about 50% right now? and heaven forbid children are raised in a same sex couple home!! children being raised in a single parent home should obviously also be outlawed since a child needs a mother and a father to be raised properly.

this is one topic i'm extremely passionate about. some of my friends and family argue that this is a moral issue. moral by the definition of christianity. ok, that's fair i guess. but let's think about it. did Jesus have lots to say about allowing gay couples the same rights as straight couples? no. not at all. in fact, the way i interpret Jesus's message was: hey people, WHY CAN'T WE JUST ALL LOVE EACH OTHER? (ahem, doody) seriously though. i'm sure Jesus hung out w/ the gays b/c i'm sure they were much more abandoned by society during his time, and the Bible does state that Jesus hung out w/ the outcasts of society. what about the verses in Leviticus that say two men should not share the same bed? ok but if we're going to follow that archaic law, then we also must follow the laws right around it that say women cannot wear more than two types of fabric and that we can't plant two different seeds in the same field. why do we get to pick and choose what we are going to follow and what we're not going to obey? i honestly believe Jesus would have a problem w/ the way we deny civil rights to certain groups of people in our society. i've also heard the argument that being gay is wrong because you can't reproduce. well, i know a BUNCH of straight kids who can't reproduce either. so are they not allowed to get married? to me, this just doesn't make sense, and i hope obama makes some real changes in this area of social justice during his presidency.

i quite like this: http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_110608_news_transgender_mayor.18a1f2fa7.html

btw, i want my friends to know that whether you disagree w/ me or not, i still think you're great. plus, argument and disagreements are healthy!