Positive Liberty

If a planned California ballot initiative passes, you won’t have to worry about gays and lesbians degrading your marriages any further:

In addition to denying marriage licenses, the proposed amendment would take away many marriage-like privileges currently extended to same-sex couples registered as domestic partners. In addition, state and local governments would no longer be allowed to extend health benefits to domestic partners of gay or lesbian workers.

Many of these initiatives were set up by democratically elected officials–but no matter. The terrible pain and suffering you straight people have felt as you watched gays and lesbians try to ensure some small measure of stability in their lives… will be gone!

Remember, marriage is special, so it’s within your rights to do all of this to us. Gays and lesbians will even be severed from their loved ones in their time of need, which I am sure will make you smile. Here’s Equality California’s take on the amendment:

As drafted, the constitutional amendment would deny health insurance, hospital visitation, inheritance and medical leave rights to thousands of diverse California families. The amendment would also deny lesbians and gay men the right to be legally recognized parents to their children and would leave tens of thousands of children in California with no legally responsible parent.

I sure hope you’re happy. Here is the text of the initiative, from a site promoting it:

Section 1: Title

This amendment shall be known and cited as the Voters’ Right to Protect Marriage Initiative.

Section 2: Declaration of Findings and Purposes

The People of California have a compelling responsibility to protect the essence of marriage by ensuring that the civil institution of marriage between one man and one woman is not abolished or diminished. The People find and declare it is in a child’s best interest to have a mother and a father, and that marriage rights for one man and one woman should be protected for the well-being of children and families.

Section 3: Marriage Protection

Section 1.1 of Article 1 of the Constitution is added to read:

SEC. 1.1. a) Only marriage between one man and one woman is valid or recognized in California, whether contracted in this state or elsewhere.

b) Neither the Legislature nor any court, government institution, government agency, local government, or government official shall abolish the civil institution of marriage between one man and one woman, or diminish the civil institution of marriage between one man and one woman by bestowing statutory rights or incidents of marriage on unmarried persons, or by requiring private entities to offer or provide rights or incidents of marriage to unmarried persons. Any public act, record, or judicial proceeding, from within this state or another jurisdiction, that violates this section is void and unenforceable.

Chillingly, the site elaborates that, “Domestic partners may continue to register their relationships with the government, but cannot be awarded marriage rights of a husband and wife.”

Why on earth would anyone register their relationship with the government if they knew in advance that they could not receive any benefit at all?

What good could such a registry possibly do?

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