Vote No

Five years ago today I got married. One month from today is a very critical election day in Minnesota. I am voting no. Here are some thoughts about why...

Five years ago today I sat in a salon to get my hair done. I put on a fancy white dress and veil. I got pictures taken with my family and my friends. I walked down an aisle with my mom and my dad, into the arms of my best friend.

We sang hymns. We exchanged vows. We poured sand into a jar to symbolize our life together. We promised to love each other for the rest of lives. This was the religious celebration of our marriage.

Beyond this, we signed a marriage license. I changed my name. We moved in together. We began being recognized as a family. We were entitled to benefits and rights as a married couple. This was the governmental recognition of our marriage.

A month from today Minnesota will head to the polls. They will vote for the president, and other governmental leaders. They will vote on constitutional amendments.

I will vote no on the marriage amendment. I don't think I've ever felt more passionately about a single vote. As I do, I will be thinking about where I was 5 years and 1 month ago.

I have never had to worry about whether or not I would be able to walk down an aisle, sign a marriage license, and be entitled to the benefits and rights of a married couple. I never had to worry about what people thought about my marriage. I never had to be told that my desire to marry the person I love was sinful, much less unconstitutional.

I didn't choose to be heterosexual, and I don't believe that people who love people of the same sex as themselves chose either.

I am a Lutheran. I have been taught that God has made everyone, and everyone got made is perfect and made in God's image. EVERYONE is precious in God's sight - male, female, black, white, gay, straight.

I have also been taught that God is love. The greatest commandment of God's is to love.

God did not create the governmental institution of marriage. This amendment will not force any religion to marry people who are gay (although let it be known that I see nothing wrong with this).

I can't imagine the pain if 5 years ago I was denied the right to marry Jeromy. I can't bear to think that there are people in this world who feel the same love and are told it is sinful.

People say that the Bible tells them that homosexuality is a sin and marriage is between a man and a woman. I have studied the passages they use, and I just don't understand it. Have they looked at translations more true to the original language? If they think the Bible says why aren't they sacrificing their animals, or covering their heads? Although I believe the Bible is divinely inspired, it was also written by a certain person, during a certain time, or a certain group of people.

I wish I could put this more eloquently. I have so many thoughts about this, and feel so strongly that the right answer it to vote no. To me it is an absolute no brainer.

This post ended up more random than I hoped... I hope that anyone who reads this who disagrees will talk to me to learn more.

Please. Vote no.