Election Day

There's nothing harder than standing up for what you believe in, especially when you're standing up against the very institution you were brought up in. Today is election day, and in Virginia we get to vote on a proposal that would define marriage as a union between a man and woman. Despite the official Catholic stance for this proposal, I voted against it. As Catholics we regard marriage as a sacrament and therefore hold it to a much higher standard than most people realize, so it's easy to see why there is support for this. But as much as it pains me to say, I feel the Catholic Church is looking at this the wrong way. The weird thing about it is that the reason it's wrong really has nothing to do with the whole gay vs straight issue. As worded, this proposal is unfair. It essentially states that because people fall within a certain group, their rights as individuals should be limited. That's discrimination, pure and simple, and THAT is against my religious upbringing. Go ahead, read the proposal, and for every reference to sexual orientation, replace it with one of race or religious belief. If the proposal defined marriage as a union between a white man and white woman, would we be so quick to support it? In the end I must do what I feel is right. It appears this measure will pass in Virginia, but at least I can sleep at night knowing I did what I felt the Lord wanted me to do.