On the night of the victory of Barrack Obama, California passed Proposition 8, a piece of legislation detail that ‘marriage’ could only be defined as between male and female individuals.

Here’s the big question – why? What is so scary about the gay couple next door being married? What huge Bogey-man does that rattle in some far repressed closet that makes people become violent, opinionated and vicious when it comes to the idea of two men, or two women, getting married?

Now I know the usual reasons: My God (insert whatever particular deity you like here) says it’s wrong, it’s not normal, it will devalue marriage, it will confuse children, they’re not like us. So, I’d just like to take a trip down a theoretical road, and see what ideas we can take from there.

Religious reasons: Well, I can’t really say anything here, because far be it from me to comment on any other person’s religion. We each find our faith and path in some way or another, and anyone who does have true faith, I congratulate you. However, I do hope everyone who falls back on this idea also sticks by every single rule that is written in their various texts. So, no shrimp cocktails, women can’t possibly wear trousers, and remember not to go near those hot dogs on a Sunday! Oh, and the whole slavery, exploitation of family and killing for the family honour as well, cause that’s written too. Now I may seem like I’m being facetious, but I assure you this is not the case. If you hold the belief so strongly that because it was written or told within your religion that such things are wrong, and that is the reason you support marriage being solely between men and women, abide by all those old laws and rituals and out of date rules. Lets see the collection of stones at the edge of every town.

It’s not ‘normal’. OK, I can see why a few people might go for this one. I mean, nature has shown that many animals with higher brain functions, such as dolphins, monkeys and even penguins have homosexual relationships, but hey, those are the exceptions, right? And as long as we’re talking about normality, the number of BDSM, fetish and sexual violence cases present all over the world are perfectly natural, of course! I mean, who doesn’t find all sorts of animals gagging each other and walking around in high heeled boots? Normality is an easy label to use to make something seem bad or different, but is very hard to find in real life. The ‘average Joe’ is generally not all that average, and relying on this idea to condemn others is a cheap shot at the best of times.

It will devalue marriage. Personally, I can’t believe anyone actually argued this. If we were worried about devaluing marriage, we should have thought about that before Hollywood, and probably Vegas too. Marriage got devalued when you could get drunk and sign yourself up to someone you met in a casino. Or maybe it was when we started getting weekly reports in each glossy gossip rag about every single celebrity couple and what they were, weren’t and should have been doing. Or the 50 page spread of every single wedding of people not many of us care about getting married in very expensive places. The concept of marriage as some sacred bond, while it may still be true for the individuals involved, fell from the public perception years ago. Now crying that more people will be able to do it, so it won’t mean the same, is just sad.

It will confuse children. Somehow, I don’t think this one can be taken seriously. Children are not as dumb as we like to think. They do use their eyes, ears and brain: they pick up on things. They pick up on love, and hate, and all the huge wide spectrum of emotions we as humans show. Children need love, and they crave knowledge. They are curious. And the amazing thing is, these young minds learn. This is a trick many older minds have forgotten, it seems. Children will not spontaneously change their sexual orientation because they know that some people fall in love with another person of the same gender. They will not all suddenly decide they want to grow up to be the next Socrates, Alexander the Great, Oscar Wilde, Sappho, Tammy Baldwin, Ellen Lee DeGeneres or X. But some of the young minds who do mature into men or women who are gay, lesbian or bisexual will know they are counted as equal to those who love the opposite sex.

And that leads, neatly enough to my final point, and the final excuse that is frequently used: they’re not like us. Wow, this one has always blown me away. History has shown plenty of examples of this kind of thinking. It helped Hitler slaughter millions upon millions. It helped the KKK go without investigation. It allowed Stalin to purge entire communities. It killed entire populations of indigenous people when new settlers approached land. It prevented millions of people having the right to vote. It kept women in abusive relationships for decades, led to the murder of men and women as a result of abuse. The list goes on, and on, and on, through human history. Humans are just that: Human. We’re the ones who got lucky with the opposable thumbs and big brains. And we are equal. We may do bad things, and we each have to account for what we have done in our time, but we are all equal. So condemning one persons sexuality because you think your difference makes you superior is below you.

All of the above noted is solely my opinion, and from public knowledge that may not be worth a whole lot. No offence is intended, and if any is caused I do apologise, but considering the world we live in that’s not likely to help.