Jerry Sanders, Republican Mayor of San Diego backed off from a pledge to veto the city council’s support for gay marriage. He did so in an announcement that’s fascinating, poignant, and moving — and well worth watching.
(Note: Though this is just making the rounds (again) now, it’s actually about a year old, September 2007. It’s still worth watching.)
“I have close family members and friends who are a member of the gay and lesbian community. Those folks include my daughter Lisa, as well as members of my personal staff.
“I want for them the same thing that we all want for our loved ones—for each of them to find a mate whom they love deeply and who loves them back; someone with whom they can grow old together and share life’s experiences.
“And I want their relationships to be protected equally under the law. In the end, I couldn’t look any of them in the face and tell them that their relationship—their very lives—were any less meaningful than the marriage I share with my wife Rana.
I do believe the greatest fear that proponents of California’s Proposition 8 — and opponents of gay marriage — is that the normalization of gay marriage will make it clear that the vast majority of gays who wish to marry are not the debauched extremists of some of the more outré Gay Pride parades out there (any more than most straights model their behavior off of Mardi Gras in New Orleans). Instead, they are “normal” people, people we know and love and respect. That weakens (whether it should or not) the moral argument that homosexuality is sinful and against (as they see it) God’s will. They are correct in their concern that if Amendment 8 doesn’t pass, gay marriage will be entrenched in Californian, and (joined with other states) American, culture as part of the mainstream. Their arguments from the Bible being inadequate to sway the populace, they can only militate for Prop 8, then, based on fear-mongering and catastrophism.
Kudos to Mr. Sanders (even a little late).
(via Ginny and Kos)
Ahhh, it was from 2007, good to know, thanks. 🙂
Yes. Sanders has actually joined the campaigning against Prop 8.
In fact, all but 2 of our city council members votes for a resolution to oppose prop 8. Unfortunately, one of the two was mine. Beaing a black man, one would think he’d understand separate but equal, but I think the religious argument won out. Not that he’s my favorite guy, anyway.
As to the video, it was fairly surprising when Sanders changed his position on the friend of the court brief filing. Surprising in a good way, which is rare in San Diego politics of late!