December 18, 2003 - 6:47 p.m.

I generally try not to write in here if I don't have something to say, which I know may come as a surprise to some of you. However, I've already been doing not so good with the solemn vow, so here are a couple of quick things from today.

This is already all over the place, but I read at The Usual Suspects today how the American Family Association has this poll up on their site where they're gauging public opinion on gay marriage in the hopes of presenting to Congress definitive proof that Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to the idea.

Asswipes. Once word got out, lots of folks -- folks who don't agree with the AFA -- started taking the poll, and now the results are getting very close indeed. So go on over and take it. You do have to give an e-mail address, but you can just unsubscribe. Or not, if you need a daily source of outrage or giggles.

So if you haven't already, go take the poll and click the pro-gay-marriage option and fuck up the AFA's day a little more. I think it's just the thing to put one in the holiday spirit, myself.

Interestingly, the position that baffles me most about the whole gay marriage thing doesn't come from those who oppose it. I think those people are wrong and bigoted and did I mention wrong? But you come to expect that sort of thing from certain quarters, so it shouldn't be all that surprising.

No, what I don't get are the people who are only in favor of gay civil unions or domestic partnerships but not gay marriage. That just seems half-assed to me.

Certainly, there are some gay and lesbian couples who don't want to deal with all the cultural baggage associated with traditional marriage. Hell, there are lots of straight people who feel that way (and I increasingly suspect that I'm one of them). And if they want to choose domestic partnership or common-law marriage, they should. But that's the point -- it should be a choice. Nobody should have to opt for the domestic partnership because the marriage option is closed off from them.

Perhaps I'm overly optimistic and naive, but I think we're living in a time where it will soon be impossible for anyone to defend a ban on gay marriage and not sound insane and bigoted to the majority of folks, anymore than they could if supporting a ban on interracial marriage. I think it may even happen in my lifetime.

I know there's still a tremendous amount of hatred and evil in the world and that, living in San Francisco, I likely have a skewed view of how things really are. But when I think about how much things have changed from when I was in high school, when nobody in my class would have dared come out, to now, when some high schools have clubs for gay kids, well, it kind of gives me hope. And in my sappier moments, I feel honored that I got to be alive to see this kind of change take place.

Don't tell anyone about that last part, though.

And now that I'm down off my soap box, here's something trivial. I was walking to work this morning when I saw an exhibition of Volkswagens outside the W Hotel.

I'm sorry, but could anything be more unnecessary than a VW exhibition in San Francisco? I can't get through a typical day without seeing approximately 127,335 of them. Old ones, new ones, vans, Beetles -- we've pretty much got it covered, thanks.

I can't imagine people were flocking to the W to see this exhibit, and I was late for work, so I couldn't really stop and find out its purpose. But that certainly wasn't enough to stop me from mouthing off about it. I like to think that's one of my charms.

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