Well, Amendment One passed...

... which didn't surprise me.  The polls were running for it.  Anger Tuesday night turned into sadness, and then into deep disappointment.

Random thoughts:

• Even though the polls were running for it, very few of the people I know spoke out for it.  A map at WRAL.com shows why (click here).  I'm in Orange County - that's the upper left corner of that red bubble in the middle of the state - and the county that voted heaviest (79% to 21%) against it.  Durham, where we also spend a lot of time, voted second heaviest against it (70% to 30%). 

If you look at the map, it's obvious how it played out.  The red counties all have cities - Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill (the precincts in the town of Hillsborough also voted against it), Charlotte, and Asheville.  Guilford County (Greensboro) was very close with less than 100 votes difference.  New Hanover County (Wilmington) was also relatively close.  Watauga County also voted against it - Boone's not really a city, but the Boone/Blowing Rock area is fairly liberal. 

It ends up being mostly a city/non-city difference statewide.  Given that I spend most of my time in the two most anti-amendment counties, spend lots of time in Asheville because daughter is in college there, and vacation every fall in Blowing Rock, I end up living in this bubble even when I'm not in the Triangle.  Oh, and our favorite place on the coast is Wilmington. 

• From a traditional perspective, our culture has changed the definition of marriage.  Up until the early part of the last century, even the Episcopalians considered birth control to be a sin!  Divorce took far longer to be widely accepted.  Nobody even blinks at pre-marital sex anymore.  If you insisted that only virgin brides could wear white, you'd be considered a jerk. 

From a Biblical perspective, we've changed the definition of marriage.  We no longer consider polygamy valid, even though it runs throughout the Old Testament.  Except for the Catholic hierarchy and about 10% to 20% of Catholic laity (depending on the poll), birth control is widely accepted.  It's no longer considered "Onan's sin."  Divorce is as widespread in the Christian population as in the non-Christian population - despite Matthew 19:  8-10, which equates remarriage after divorce with adultery - violating one of the Ten Commandments. 

Heterosexuals have changed all sorts of things about the definition of marriage.  I'm not arguing with any of this.  I'm only saying that it makes no sense to hold gay and lesbian people to an unchanging traditional/Biblical standard when heterosexuals have changed all sort of things for themselves.

Do heterosexuals consider gay and lesbian people, Christian or not, to be innately more virtuous than heterosexuals?  Are gay and lesbian people more able to comply with traditions and Biblical teachings even though those traditions and teachings leave them celibate and alone their whole lives?  This doesn't reflect well on heterosexuals who found non-use of birth control, not remarrying after divorce, and celibacy before marriage to be too difficult.

If heterosexuals are so willing to change the definition of marriage to suit themselves, it makes no sense to hold gay and lesbian people to a stricter standard.  It seems that many heterosexuals actually consider gay and lesbian people to be more capable of holding to strict standards. 

• Yesterday, Fullsteam Brewery in Durham had this post on Facebook:

To the LGBT community: please let us know how we can continue to serve you. Drag Bingo is 10pm tonight, if that helps a little.

• As I mentioned, most people I talk to are against it.  It's such a volatile subject that I haven't brought it up with people that I know favor it.  I still would really like to understand why they favor it, though.  I've read a lot, and I've even done online searches, but I still don't understand.

Tuesday night and Wednesday, there were a lot of angry reactions among my Facebook friends.  I was angry too.  However, one man, one of the most encouraging and sweetest guys I've ever known, and someone I know has been hurt by anti-gay prejudice, acknowledged people's emotions, but then went beyond to encourage his friends that their dreams were still possible, and to love those that don't understand them. 

It was one of the most Christ-like responses I've seen from anyone on either side in quite a while.