Thrilled with Prop 8 Ruling; Outraged by “One Million Moms”

Ellen Padnos
Ellen Padnos

I keep finding myself at the Gay Voices section of Huffington Post.  It’s an interesting place for me to end up because I’m not gay. I have a gay friends and family members, and I love them. Who they love only enhances my life because they’re happy and bring more great people into my world.

I read things like Gay Voices because I’m trying to understand why people are so mean. Nothing in life disgusts me like this prejudice. And what’s worse is it’s often masked by “religion.” I’m overwhelmed by the inequity and the unkindness.  It’s horrifying to me!

Yesterday, however, was a great day!  I was proud to be a Californian when a federal appeals panel in San Francisco ruled that California’s Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage, is unconstitutional. This decision could lead to the U.S. Supreme Court hearing a case regarding the controversial social issue.

Yet this morning, the first thing I saw on the news is that the “socially conservative” group One Million Moms has started a campaign against JC Penney for hiring openly lesbian entertainer Ellen Degeneres as its spokesperson.

The reality is, this is a mean-spirited fringe organization whose fear-mongering is effective – it’s getting them media attention. But they’re on the wrong side of history as our country has a long history of securing equal rights for groups facing discrimination.

I’m happy to report that that a bunch of Facebook pages have popped up AGAINST these “One Million Moms” (such as this one), and their own Facebook page has been taken down. We learned a very valuable lesson last week with the outcry from women when the Susan G. Komen foundation decided to withdraw support from Planned Parenthood. The power of social media – primarily Facebook and Twitter — can incite change! Komen reversed its decision after just a couple of days, and the executive who led the decision “resigned.

Read Karen Handel’s resignation letter here.

[ Editor’s Note: Please also see Words Have Power: Why Republican Anti-Gay Platform Must Stop by Carol Sarosik, which posted on February 8. And please “Like” MeaningfulWomen.com on Facebook! ]

Click here to see more articles on MeaningfulWomen.com by Ellen Padnos.

Ellen Padnos lives in Manhattan Beach, CA with her husband, Ben, her children Anthony (5), and Annie (1), and her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Lola. You can also follow her on Twitter (@ellenpadnos).

Celebrity Pictures courtesy of ImageCollect.

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