The Civil Rights Issue of My Generation

Today’s post is actually non-sequitur to what I usually write, but I felt that it was so entirely compelling that I can only do it mere justice by acknowledging what has transpired. It’s a wonderful day for California with the overruling of Proposition 8. It’s amazing that this has happened in my lifetime even though it’s only at the statewide-level. Hearing remarks from like-minded friends has renewed my sense of hope for what will ensue at the Court of Appeals and finally to the Supreme Court.

When I was in high school, I remember witnessing an intense debate between my classmates over this civil rights issue. To be quite honest, I didn’t have much faith in our legal system at the time, even though I participated heavily in a debate team and specialized on topics that involved making a clear-cut analysis on judicial review. During a lunch hour on a regular school day, we wrestled with the notion of how marriage should be defined in American society. Most of my classmates fervently believed it was strictly between a man and a woman. A minority believed that people should generally have the freedom to marry whoever they pleased in the name of love. I agreed strongly with the latter. But never did I believe I would see such a day when an entire ballot proposition would be overturned. I guess you could say that my practical heart was seeing the glass half empty.

What struck me the most about today’s changing political current can be summarized easily by U.S. District Chief Justice Judge Vaughn Walker: “The evidence did not show any historical purpose for excluding same-sex couples from marriage, as states have never required spouses to have an ability or willingness to procreate in order to marry. Rather, the exclusion exists as an artifact of a time when the genders were seen as having distinct roles in society and in marriage. That time has passed.”

It’s 2010. It certainly is about time!

PS. Happy Birthday to President Barack Obama!