Tomorrow, in addition to voting for a new president, people in Arizona will be voting on Proposition 102.  Prop 102 would add the following to the Arizona constitution:

Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state.

A similar measure, Prop 107, was on the ballot in 2006.  It did not pass.  Arizona law already defines marriage as between one man and one woman.  The proposition would make further gains in civil rights for queer people more difficult.  More worrying to me is the homophobic sentiment the very well-funded Yes on 102 campaign is stirring up in my home.  Every day I receive fliers and phone calls suggesting that by not voting yes on 102, marriage will be ruined for straight people and our community will be damaged somehow.  This is simply untrue.  First of all, if 102 does not pass, gay marriage will become legal in Arizona.  Secondly, even if it did, in California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maine, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, Oregon, and Washington where some form of same-sex partnership is legal, divorce rates have not skyrocketed, there is no epidemic of pedophiles, people have not suddenly started hating children or being mean to their neighbors.  Society has not fallen apart.

If you live in Arizona, Florida, Arkansas, or California, I hope you vote no on the homophobic ballot initiative in your state.  Your vote is affecting the lives of people you know and care about.  To vote for these propositions will do you and your community no good.  It is just cruel.

I have adopted moms that mean the world to me, the day that they were able to get legally married was one of the happiest days in my life.  Even though the institution of marriage isn’t my favorite thing in the world, seeing the looks on their faces, being privileged to be one of their witnesses meant the world to me, and remains one of the most important days in my life.  A few months later the state of Oregon sent them a letter telling them that their partnership of over 13 years was not recognized, and that they were no longer married and my heart broke for them, and every other couple that received that letter.

Many people who support these initiatives, say they do so in the name of “family values.”  But if you vote for these propositions, you are hurting families.