Dear Governor Schwarzenegger –
In California we seem to be stuck in a world with marriages for some couples and civil unions for others. This seems to be an accommodation to religious groups who somehow feel entitled to own the word “marriage” and define it for themselves.
But religion does not own the word marriage. When two atheists of opposite genders get married, by a judge in a courthouse, it is still legally called a marriage, not a civil union. The word “marriage” Is owned by the state, and as a citizen I demand to be able to use it.
Once Californians admit that everybody deserves the same rights regardless of their gender, religion and sexual orientation, the segregation between marriage and domestic partnerships becomes instantly absurd. California crossed that line in 1999.
Those who support a system that surrenders the word “marriage” to the Mormons and the Papists are as reprehensible as the apartheid they support.
Governor, I wish you would apologize for vetoing AB 43, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act that would have legalized gay marriage through the legislature. I wish you would speak out against those who are stealing state property and using it for their own religious agenda. I wish you would make the GOP get rid of Michael Steele so Republicans can once again represent America’s promise of freedom and dignity, instead of some warped version of theocracy.
Sincerely,