Blog :: Prop 8, Two Views

You can go here to see "Prop 8 - the Musical" if you really crave a glimpse of minor celebrities (Neil "Doogie Howser" Patrick Harris and Jack Black, etc) singing and dancing about Prop. 8. It's a propaganda piece in which the dour conservatives and homophobic blacks oppose the colorful gays until Jesus (Jack Black) shows up to teach them that the Bible says a lot of things (like don't eat shrimp cocktail^*). Fortunately the colourless ones realise that gay marriage might lead to higher revenues and sales so at least there's a happy ending as everybody realises gay marriage is as American as apple pie...

I only mention this to share my immediate reaction:
<Bentsen Voice>
Jack Black, I know Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is a friend of mine. Jack, you're no Jesus Christ!
</Bentsen Voice>

On a more serious note you can read Banned in Boston, a column in which Maggie Gallagher explores various legal experts' opinions on some of the upcoming conflicts between the push for gay rights and existing religious rights. Essentially any avenue in which religious organizations and Churches offer services of some kind (eg religious schools, homeless shelters or other charitable institutions, marital counseling, sports leagues, Vacation Bible School, etc) provides a point of public interaction that may allow the government to compel the organization to support and recognise gay marriage or lose their tax exempt service (at best) or be shut down (as in the case of Catholic Charities adoption services in Boston). The danger that creating new rights based on sexual behaviour poses to existing constitutional rights is real - and poses a powerful argument for resolving actual difficulties experienced by gay couples (various issues of legal access) via new legal structures rather than by redefining the existing legal/social structure of marriage. Hat tip to the meta-dad for this story, btw.

^* I've heard this enough that it's starting to annoy me. Ok, everybody knows Leviticus prohibits shellfish. But it's a cheap shot (and particularly unworthy of the the Rev Debra Brady, who knows better). Anybody who has even a "Bible For Dummies" understanding of the relationship between what Christians call the Old Testament and New Testament understands why that's not a particularly impressive argument... The Bible also gives instruction for bringing your sacrifices yearly to the Temple and yet nobody accuses Christians of hypocrisy for not doing so.

Posted on December 4th 2008, 01:13 AM

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