As you probably’ve already gathered, I don’t like to make social commentary in my blog.  I think I can count on one hand with fingers to spare how many times I’ve voiced my opinion about something political or controversial.  I think this’ll be a post that can be added to that tally.

If you live in the United States, then I’m sure you know about the passing of Proposition 8 in California, legislation banning gay marriage.  Well, as they’re wont to be, books have been brought into the foray, namely King and King, a children’s book about homosexual relationships.  Now, there are a slew of children’s books out there that address homosexual and lesbian relationships but this one in particular seemed to be loved a little more by those that promote ‘love thy neighbor’ with an asterisk.

Now, I don’t know about you but I find it a little . . . I don’t know if the word I’m looking for is hypocritical or ironic.  Or both.  Either way, the supporters of Prop 8 used this book in defense of their argument, claiming this is the kind of immoral behavior that’ll be taught to our children in schools if Prop 8 is passed.  I just want to laugh because they’ll use the book to their advantage, give it free promotion, will have other people wanting to get their hands on it to read it to see what all the fuss is about, and then attempt to ban it because people shouldn’t be reading it.

Has your head stopped spinning yet?

What I see here, aside from complete idiocy and lack of a cognitive thought process, are people denying their children from being taught tolerance at such a young age.  The article states that parents feel seven is too young to be introducing homosexual themes into their lives.  So, are these teachers giving detailed instructions on how a homosexual relationship works while leaving the “normals” by the wayside to collect dust?  These children are not learning anything more about homosexual relationships than they are about heterosexual ones.  All they’re learning about is love and how and why different people love each other.  Please don’t tell me these knobs are protesting books with interracial couples too.

People’s definition of a relationship is being shaken and they want to make sure their children learn and adhere to that rigid definition they, themselves, have adopted.  The only tolerance they should have are for people just like them.  Right?  So books about love and compassion and tolerance and equality should only include those whom are loving, compassionate and tolerant of others just like them.  Yup.  The head’s still spinning.

For how effective banning is, just look at Prohibition.  My how that one worked!

Banning books won’t make them go away.  All it will do is draw attention to it and drive up sales, the exact opposite of what the banners’ intentions are.  Banning gay marriage isn’t going to make it go away and it doesn’t make the supporters of Prop 8 right.  It makes them witch hunters.  What I read is no one’s business but my own.  Who I sleep with, who I date and who I marry is no one’s business but my own.  Yes, marriage is a religious intonation but in this modern day, marriage has become a government institution as well.  Let the church deny who they will when it comes to marriage.  Unfortunately they have every right to do that.  But the state doesn’t.  The first amendment has something to say about that, doesn’t it?  For the government to say your relationship is lesser, it doesn’t count, it’s not real, it doesn’t mean as much as this other one, is a violation of a fundamental human right to love whom we want to.

The people that allow the restriction of others to love should be ashamed of themselves and maybe should open their eyes a little bit.  They might learn something from these amoral heathens about love and compassion and tolerance.  While they think they got the definition of ‘marriage’ right, they’re looking in the wrong dictionary for the rest.

If you have a child and you want them to be a well-rounded human being and love others for who they are and not judge them based on who they love, pick up a book like King and King and read it to them.  They’ll thank you later for it.  And I’m sure your heart will be a little lighter at the end of the day because of it.