Last week, I listened online at work while testimony was presented to the Washington State House of Representatives prior to their vote on whether to legalize gay marriage in Washington State.
Now, I came out as a lesbian in 1991 and I’ve been in a domestic partnership for almost a decade. I’ve heard it all: that gay marriage will lead to people marrying dogs, for example. Or that legalizing my relationship will result in the downfall of “traditional” marriage (see: Newt Gingrich, Liz Taylor, and my personal fave, Kim Kardashian’s possibly sham marriage to Kris Humphries). And I’ve heard that gays are an abomination, that our relationships are “unnatural.”
But those complaints no longer cause any bitterness for me — just irritation. Once you’ve watched the media attack the gays during the HIV/AIDS crisis, it takes an awful lot to get riled up.
HOWEVER. During live testimony at the State House, I kept hearing how irresponsible it was for WA State to spend its time and resources on a polarizing social issue like gay marriage when so many people are out of work and hungry and losing health benefits. In truth, I can’t argue with that too much, except to say that if it weren’t for the opposition and their testimonies, the vote could’ve happened pretty quickly and the legislature could get back to whatever important business is on the agenda in Olympia.
I felt like they had a valid point. Until I watched the local news just 2 days later. KREM.com reports:
“The Washington State Senate has approved a bill that would allow a new form of traction device for vehicle tires called tire socks.
KREM 2’s Othello Richards found out that not many people, including local tire stores, have ever heard of them.”
Are you friggin’ kidding me???? This is the IMPORTANT business that the WA legislature needed to back to instead of insuring legal protections for thousands of couples in WA State, and potentially boosting some portions of the local economy in the process? SOCKS for tires??
Read Governor Chris Gregoire’s beautiful speech on why gay marriage is the right thing to do. Why separate but equal isn’t really equal. Why my family is as legitimate as yours. Why protecting gay families is important.
In my opinion, gay marriage is a lot more important than being able to use socks on my tires instead of chains.
Now I’m pissed.
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