For the Sake of Marriage

The day before election day, I picked up Alex, my seven years old son, a second grader, and we headed home for the day. Driving along Santa Monica Blvd, up a little hill, we came across the grandest and most solemn architecture in the neighborhood, the Mormon temple, where usually thereis seldomseen a single soul wandering around. A metal fence separate s it from the rest of the world, most of all, from the bustling boulevard. Yet this day was very unusual. A group of people, holding hand made signs were pacing back and forth in protest in front of the temple. “Vote No to Prop. 8” their signs decried.

“What is “prop. 8″?” Alex asked, taking a break from reading Harry Potter . At school, his teacher had been discussing the election with the class. At home, over dinner, among homework, sports and play-date arrangements, the election had lately been one of our reoccurring subjects as well. Whether at school or at home however, the subject had always been focused on the presidential election, on Obama and McCain, nothing else, no one else.

“Well, it’s about same sex marriage.” I said, curious to see his reaction.

“What does that mean?”

I explained to him, and paid close attention to his expression from the rear view mirror, however, the youthful face showed nothing.

“Why?”

“Because they are in love. If one is in love with the other, they would like to share their lives together.” I thought back to many years ago, when I first came to the States, when I went to a Halloween Parade on Santa Monica Blvd. It was my first close encounter with homosexuals and there were so many of them. It was quite a shock to see so many men, not only dressed buts , and his partner, a Caucasian, dressed like a pirate, a black patch covering his right eyes. Regardless of how different their outward appearances were, their fingers were intertwined. There were moments they exchanged looks, there was so much tenderness, caring and love in their gaze, no different from any other lovers I have seen and known, if not more so. also talking and behaving like ladies. Then I saw them, an Asian man dressed in a cheer-leader outfit, his long hair was pulled up a ponytail

“But it’s not tradition al , some people can’t accept the idea and they want to prohibit it.” I added.