Gay marriage ban will one day seem ‘so stupid’
When I was 8 years old, I made my mom cry, in a good way.
We were talking about space exploration (that’s all I talked about in the age of Apollo) and the amazing fact that her mother, my Grandma, was born before the Wright brothers made their first historic flight, and yet lived long enough to see humans walk on the moon.
And then my mom said, “Of course, she was also born before women were given the right to vote.”
“What?” I said.
“Yes, Grandma was born before women could vote.”
“You mean women weren’t allowed to vote?”
“That’s right, back then only men could vote.”
I remember feeling shocked and outraged.
“Well how come? That’s not fair! That’s just so stupid!”
Mom looked at me and started to cry, which is why I remember this so vividly.
So it will be for many of my gay friends, family and former students. Someday your grandchild will be talking to their parent, your child, and they will learn that there was a time when gay people were not allowed to marry.
And your grandchild will say, “Well how come? That’s not fair! That’s just so stupid!”
Paul A. Lake, Fresno
This story was originally published July 8, 2015 at 6:02 AM with the headline "Gay marriage ban will one day seem ‘so stupid’."