On Christmas Day, 2005, my then-wife, who was primarily an atheist, decided it might be interesting to go to a Christian church service for something out of the ordinary. I had been raised in Christian churches, and had various phases of my life where I was into it, and though I haven’t been a practicing Christian for well over 10 years, I was curious, having never been to an English church service. So there we go, off to Dagenham Methodist. There was nothing out of the ordinary, plenty of Christmas carol singing, a little sermon, but then it came time for congregation members to say their individual prayers, which are usually for ailing family or friends. This one man, the guitarist for the church band, took the time to pray to the lord that, “While many are advocating gay marriage, I pray dear Lord, that you condemn that and homosexuality for the horrible sins that they are!” The accent said Essex, but the words said Oklahoma, Alabama, Louisiana, pick one. I thought that alarming, even for Dagenham, where the racist British National Party has a large group of supporters. Maybe because it was Christmas, nobody wanted to tell this idiot what a horribly bigoted thing he’d said on one of the holiest of days. I haven’t been to an Essex church since.

                   Despite the pocket of conservatism/fundamentalism that much of Essex county seems to foster, England and UK on the whole come off pretty liberal when compared to mainstream America. Certainly the overall attitude towards gays and lesbians is more tolerant, otherwise you wouldn’t have so many high-profile gay celebrities. Elton John’s wedding to David Furnish got as much press as any of Katie Price’s. And while there’s plenty of people here who no doubt share the same view as Dagenham Idiot did, they’re not a powerful force like the one that seems to creep through California every couple of years.

                   California got some good news on August 4, as U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker declared that Proposition 8, which was approved with 52% of the vote in November 2008, was in fact unconstitutional, thus invalid. It wasn’t the first time that a measure was on the ballot to define marriage as ONLY the union of two members of opposite genders. Marriage is a public declaration of LOVE, one of the biggest life commitments a person can make, and something that’s done with pride. But the religious nuts seem to find chapter and verse to say that god condemns this, and it’s one big roller-coaster ride to hell. The advocates of this measure spread the fear (and it’s their usual bargaining chip) that if gay marriage is legal then our children will have to be taught that it’s OK, and maybe it’s the wrong phrase to use here, but “blow me” seems the appropriate response to that malarkey. 

                      This battle has some history too, which indicates it’s going to see-saw for a few more rounds, depending on who’s in charge. Amazing that it would happen in the state recognized as the most liberal, and with the highest gay population. It began in 2000, when Proposition 22 was passed, declaring marriage as a union between man and woman only. In 2004, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said screw that, he likes his job and wants his constituency to like him too, so in a defiant, ballsy gesture, he allowed San Francisco County to issue same-sex marriage licenses. The State Supreme Court stepped in and nullified his legislation, but it set the balls rolling on both sides. It took awhile, but in May 2008, Proposition 22 was invalidated.

                      All that did was propel the wingnuts to go a step further and come up with Proposition 8. This was now taking the same definitions of Prop 22, but proposing it be a constitutional amendment. The more liberal factions must have known it was going to pass, too, for in the 6 months between the nullification of Prop 22 and the November passage of Prop 8, 18,000 gay marriage ceremonies were performed, including that of Ellen DeGeneres and her partner. Thankfully, none of those unions were nullified, but in the 21 months since 8’s passage, no gay weddings have been carried out in California.

                       There’s plenty of reason to believe that while the homosexual communities can feel a sense of relief, this is going to be a long back-and-forth battle. California will be electing a new governor this year, and I mean NEW because there’s no way they’re going to elect an old one. Jerry Brown is the Democratic candidate, but he’s already been there, THIRTY YEARS ago, and while he’s a good man who held the governorship with dignity and poise in the late 70s and early 80s, he’s much older now, and his chances of winning are slim, to be kind. Contrast that to his Republican opponent, internet billionaire Meg Whitman, who’s spared no cost at getting her name out there.

                  California’s in deep shit, and it’s not all the fault of outgoing governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who took on the job at an inopportune time, when the state economy was already going to hell. Arnie’s administration sealed that deal, but it was probably going to happen no matter who was keeping house. Unlike another actor who governed the state, Arnie really wanted to make a difference, while that other “actor” basically said “Fuck you, I’m in charge” for 8 years, just as he did when he was president.

                       No, more scary to the Prop 8 foes than a Whitman victory would be the election of the conservative Carly Fiorina to the Senate over incumbent Barbara Boxer. Fiorina has already gone out there with her anti-abortion, homosexuality-is-a-sin nonsense, and while she’s not as obnoxious as Sarah Palin, she’s coming from some of the same fabric. Boxer has a long track record as a champion of liberal causes, but just as it happened in the 1994 elections during Bill Clinton’s first term, the Republicans stand a really good chance of taking back the majorities in both the House and Senate. So far, polls have shown Boxer with a decent, possibly safe lead. But leave it to the spin doctors to find something Boxer did or said (or didn’t say) to be the least bit incriminatory, and it’s Carly, dude!

                        You can bet that with Whitman in Sacramento and Fiorina in Washington, Prop 8 could be re-written in ever-so-slightly nicer language, and it would pass, no matter how much campaigning the show biz community does. So enjoy the moment while it’s there, gang, I’m really happy that common sense has prevailed. Still,  before I think about leaving England, I want to see what’s brewing in what is, to me, the only state that matters.