A reader writes:
This Sunday, I volunteered with Equality California and the No On 1 Campaign to make calls to Maine residents to inform them about the measure and urge them to vote (No) early if they can. There was one call in particular that I thought was interesting. I introduced myself by explaining that I volunteered for the campaign to vote No on Question 1 and the first thing the lady said to me was “look, I don’t think this stuff should be taught to 1st graders.”
Not knowing what kind of ads the opposition had been running, I assured her that the purpose of the call was only to inform her that the measure intends to overturn an equality law that is already in place. I told her that I personally feel it should be up to the parents to talk to their kids about sexuality, and that the law has no bearing on the school system, that the law is about marriage equality and nothing else. Next thing she says is, “well yeah, I think anyone should be allowed to marry the person they love. If they’re in love, who am I to say to them that they can’t marry, right?”
So this was someone who believed in marriage equality but was being harassed by those insidious ads into possibly voting against her own instincts. I hope that I’ve convinced one person not to pay any mind to them, but I do hope that others realize what the real issue at stake here is.