And I speak from experience. My grandmother (who would never read this blog*), is vehemently opposed to same-sex anything. Being a Jew, you’d think she’d see the hypocrisy, but according to anyone in the right wing, sexuality is a choice. (I find it sad that, with this assertion, not a single homophobic person has yet to tell me when s/he chose to be straight.)

She came down on my hubby and I after she saw my Prop 8 photoset on Flickr, I can only assume. Why she is so angrily opposed to anything gay, bi, or trans, I will never fully understand. Simply put, I cannot comprehend why someone would care so much to be against any group. There’s usually an underlying issue. But I digress.

Which brings me back to religion. And why its not always religion, but sometimes it’s old fashioned bigotry. My family isn’t very religious. They consider themselves Jews and believer in varying versions of higher powers, but they are and have always been rather reform. My parents are pro gay marriage; however they’re not going to be fighting in the streets for it. Nonetheless, they don’t see this manufactured threat (and they lean Republican but consider themselves Independent). My grandma is also a staunch never-gonna-change-me Republican who will defend every right wing nutbag, even when brimming full of anti-Semitic discourse… go figure! I don’t know where this anti-gay stance stems from; I have no clue but I gather she felt this way before Fox News. I always used to think she was very understanding one, as we often do with grandmothers, but that’s not always the case.

There may be an influence from the religious right’s agenda, but there’s also plain ol’ bigotry. The über-religious clan have their anti-same-sex marriage reasons wedged in (obviously) religion. In many cases, it simply bigotry in disguise, using religion as a deflector. Sometimes understanding, caring individuals have been so warped by religion that it can cause bigotry. And some people just don’t care about equal rights….until, of course, it effects them.

And here I was thinking there was a separation of church and state… Sigh…

Being that this must be overturned (and will be in due time) for a bevy of reasons, I’ll be protesting this evening. Will you be?

*I do have links from other sites (that my grandmother is aware of), so it wouldn’t be difficult for her to find this. But she has seemed to not want to know about my atheism or progressive nature, so she avoids those parts of me. :( In any case, if she does see this Grandma, I love you, but I do not feel I have misrepresented your views. And you already know how I feel.

During the election, the Mormon Church pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into the push to ban same-sex marriage in California — a campaign that deprived people in a different state [from where the church is based] of a fundamental civil right.

LDS officials initially claimed they donated $2,078 to the Yes on 8 campaign (although direct donations by individual members exceed $20 million). But recent tax filings reveal that the church spent nearly $190,000 to help pass Proposition 8, paying church members to phone bank and travel to California to campaign for the measure.

While officials investigate the odd discrepancy between the church’s initial report and its tax filings, independent groups have formed to lobby for a review of the church’s tax-exempt status.

“1,000,000 Strong to Strip the Mormon Church of Its Tax Exempt Status” is a Facebook group founded to turn outrage over the church’s role in the campaign into action.

Read more at Alternet.

(Click to see entire set.)

I had a very short conversation with a coworker regarding this issue. Apparently he didn’t even understand what Prop 8 is. WTF? After explaining it, he informed me how he believes marriage is between a man and a woman. Fair enough, but what’s the reasoning? The same ol’ slippery slope that next they’ll want to marry their dogs. Then, I had to get out of the elevator; I was at my floor. Being that I have always thought he was a relatively cool guy, I don’t want to take it any further.

So I’ll just vent here. Who the fuck is they? The gay men and women want to marry other humans. Is that likening homosexuality to bestiality? ‘Cause its sickening to think so. BTW, children and dogs are not even legally allowed to enter contracts, which is what marriage is.

Perhaps I’m lucky to be a woman and be married to a awesome man. (The awesomist!) Yet I do consider myself bisexual and I like to use percentages rather than terms: I’m around 80% hetero, 20% homo. In any case, I have surely been attracted to members of the same sex and know how it feels. And its not in that hot college drunk girl kind of way. That’s hot ‘n all, but that’s about either mere attraction or the attention they get from frat guys. Either way, I’m a sorority-free kinda lady. (I always said I don’t believe in buying friends, but that was just a jab to get at some of the stuck up girls.)

I know how it feels. The few times I actually had a crush on a member of the same gender, I felt wrong in a manner of speaking. I would be happy one moment and then suddenly wish I could just like a guy. Awkward and a little uncomfortable within my own flesh. I was ashamed to let everyone know; I was picky on who I told (more so than being an atheist – or at that time – irreligious).

To be fair, I was also aware that I could be thought of as some floozy trying to get attention. So I attended LGBT meetings with gay, bi, and straight (ok, 1) friends. (No trans at the time.) But outside of the comfort zone, I was very reserved. Eventually, I blurted out how I felt to which she said “I’m straight”. I was relieved that I could finally get over her and focus on someone else, most likely a man. It’s sad to think that’s how I felt (even in Miami).

But if that’s how an open-minded person from an only-slightly-homophobic family feels, I can’t even begin to imagine anything more severe. In addition, I also couldn’t begin to imagine that feeling throughout everything one does.

No one chooses to be interested in the same sex. It just happens.

This as a civil rights issue. Liberty, justice, and equality needs to be for all.