I heard a commercial on the radio this morning trying to encourage people to reject Referendum 71, which protects the rights of lesbian and gay couples in committed relationships. The commercial used the worst rhetoric ever and was unabashedly bigoted. To summarize, it’s basic argument was: “We can’t give gays equal rights because there are so many other things going wrong in this state.”

Things are bad! And giving gay couples rights won’t help the budget.  So screw them!

I think perhaps what bothered me the most was that the commercial was not about the issue at stake AT ALL. It did not even try to say that giving lesbian and gay couples rights will lead to a complete breakdown of society, which is what we hear often from the right-wingers. (It’s an opinion I completely disagree with, but at least it’s a direct opinion on the issue.) No, instead it treated gay and lesbians as completely inconsequential, like their rights don’t matter because they are less-than. And these pious heterosexuals simply can’t be bothered to care about those kinds of people.

I can’t believe people like this still exist. Especially in Washington state. I mean, REALLY?!

I’m just thankful that I happen to be straight, and that no one is preventing me from marrying the person I love and receiving the legal benefits of marriage.

Approve Referendum 71. Because the world is too screwed up to prevent people from receiving equal rights.