Coke Talk of the Day
A friend of mine has a roommate who voted Yes on Prop 8, the California ballot measure that made it unconstitutional for gays to marry in my state.
I know this because my friend just asked for my advice on how to handle her. They’ve known each other all their lives — childhood friends who these days don’t seem to have anything in common other than childhood.
Until now, it hasn’t really been an open problem, but it’s turning into one.
The roommate is a sweet but very naive young girl. Lately, she’s discovered just how much fun it is to go out partying with our flamboyantly gay friends. She loves them. She thinks they’re great. She just doesn’t think they deserve equal rights. (The great irony here being that she also happens to be black.)
All of this might have been overlooked had Maine not recently been in the news, but now it’s this big ugly thing between them.
The roommate has asked my friend to lie — that’s right, lie on her behalf so as not to offend our gay friends.
Rightfully, my friend refuses to lie. She wants her roommate to suffer the social consequences of her beliefs — as well she should.
Thing is, my friend is a better person than me. I would have kicked her out of the house the second I heard she voted Yes on Prop 8.
Naive childhood friend or not, there are times when a harsh lesson is in order.
If it were up to me, the consequences wouldn’t have been mild embarrassment. The consequences would have been banishment. Total fucking exile.
We live in a world that is almost all grey area, but on those rare occasions when things are pure black and white, you pick a fucking side and you defend it.
This is one of those occasions.
If you vote to ban gay marriage, you are a small-minded bigot. You are wrong. You are the enemy. No exceptions.
WORD.
