Erstwhile celeb, uber geek, blogger extraordinaire, and budding talented author Wil Wheaton has taken a principled stand today in his blog against amending the U.S. Constitution and in support of gay marriage. Noting first that he debated whether to post at all, given the divisiveness of the issue, his wide readership and that he has a new book coming out in just two weeks, he then went on to post a lengthy, intelligent and impassioned piece regardless of the consequences because he "has to stand up for his beliefs":
And this brings me to the first thing that's so profoundly upsetting about this entire issue: it's not about marriage, it's not about love, it's not about family, it's not about commitment. It's about hating homosexuals. It's about treating homosexuals as if they are second-class citizens. It's about dividing this country into those who support discrimination, and those who don't. It's about Karl Rove updating The Southern Strategy.
It comes as no surprise to me that, as part of that strategy, George W. Bush wants to take the Constitution, a document that is supposed to limit government and guarantee freedoms to all Americans, away from millions of our fellow citizens who are homosexual. I didn't buy the "I'm a uniter, not a divider, compassionate conservative" bullshit during the 2000 campaign, and this is just another example of Mr. Bush revealing his true colors. And this argument that it's a response to "activist judges?" That's a huge load of crap too. Mr. Bush has a lot of nerve talking about "activist judges," considering that he owes his presidency to five of them....
Now, I have no doubt that this effort will fail. I believe that it will ultimately backfire on the Bush Administration, and contribute to his defeat in November. The United States just isn't the Theocracy that Mr. Bush wants to create.
There is a wonderful opportunity here, though, that I haven't heard anyone talk about, yet: we are now forced, as a nation, to acknowledge and confront the widespread discrimination against gays and lesbians, and I believe that Americans will unite against segregation now, just as we did during the Civil Rights movement.
I believe in America. I believe in the Bill of Rights, and the founding principals of this nation. I believe that goodness, compassion, and tolerance will triumph over hatred, bigotry, and ignorance.
And I am proud to stand up for these beliefs, whatever the consequences.
Given the overwhelming agreement with his position in the comments posted to his entry, I don't suspect Wil will see much negative fallout to having taken this position. But it could have been different, and I applaud him for being willing to stand up for what's right despite the potential cost. Just in case someone decides to boycott him because of his political beliefs, I think I'm going to buy a copy of both of his books.
