Thanks, Gov. Davis, for recognizing that gay people are really no different than other folks. In fact, dare I be somewhat inflammatory and suggest that giving straight people different rights than everybody else is tatamount to special rights for straight people. I would think that any law that gives greater priveledges or accessibility to one group, singling out other groups who cannot receive those services is in fact special rights. But the allegedly good christian people who stand in opposition to compassion and to seeing people for who they are rather than who they love don't see it that way.

I had meant to do a long piece on this but for now, here's the short version. All these right wing Christians who stand up and say that Jesus wouldn't like gays or blacks, or any other group you can think of are full of shit. The whole premise of Christianity means relegating the Old Testament to a bunch of interesting stories making the New Testament, which focuses on the life and times of our savior, Jesus Christ, the defining book of the Bible. Which means that the one passage talking about the atrocities at Saddam and Gomorrah that says "God hates that" referring to men lying with other men as they lie with women is now part of that collection. And for what's it's worth, translations from the original acutally mean that God hates being inhospitable to your visitors, not the gay issue.

And yet, right-wingers, preachers of hate, stand there and say that anyone not like them don't deserve the same rights, the same compassion that Jesus preached. How the hell does that work?? Jesus hung out with lepers, prostitutes and preached that everyone is no better than the lowest among them, that in God's eyes, we all deserve love. So where do they get off hating? NOTHING in Jesus' stories speak of hate being okay, rather he reached out to everyone and preached kindness and compassion, the two values that I hold more and more dear with each passing day.

So I have two messages: 1. BE NICE! Jesus most certainly was and if you're going to hold him up as the messiah you may as well get his message right and 2. get off your high horse. No one person is better or worse than any other. We are all just different and if even if you don't 'accept my alternative lifestyle' it still exists. Just like me not accepting your hatred, your anger (though you don't know me, I'm really very nice and quite harmless, unless telling bad jokes is a crime) doesn't make it go away. But that doesn't stop me from hoping.

For what it's worth, I remain undecided on the religious issue but am clear that hatred is not something that Jesus preached. So if you're going to use religion as a platform for hate, you've just got it all wrong. Gov. Davis Signs Gay Rights Bill
By JIM WASSERMAN

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Gray Davis signed legislation Sunday providing about a dozen rights enjoyed by married couples to more than 16,000 registered gay, lesbian and domestic partners in California.

The bill lets partners who register with the secretary of state's office make medical decisions for incapacitated partners, sue for wrongful death, adopt a partner's child and will property to a partner.

``This bill is about responsibility, respect, and most of all about family - and it's about time,'' Davis said.

Supporters called Davis' decision the biggest expansion of domestic partner rights in the country, putting the state alongside Vermont and Hawaii for acceptance of same-sex couples.

``This bill marks a stellar advance for lesbians and gays in California,'' said Democratic Assemblywoman Carole Migden, the bill's author.

Opponents label it an assault on traditional marriage and family values. In March 2000, more than 60 percent of California voters said that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

``In one fell swoop, Gray Davis has cheapened every marriage in the state, undermined the vote of the people, pandered to the special interests, frivolously spent taxpayer money and broken his written promise to the citizens of California,'' said Randy Thomasson, director of the Campaign for California Families.

The group rallied in six California cities last week, asking Davis to veto the bill.

The bill, which goes into effect, Jan. 1, also allows an individual to relocate with a domestic partner without losing unemployment benefits, use sick leave to care for a family member and administer a partner's estate.

The governor spent Sunday considering more than 200 bills, racing toward a midnight deadline. Most take effect Jan. 1.

Davis signed 13 crime bills, including one to fine adults who leave young children alone in cars. He also signed a bill to make registered sex offenders provide yearly fingerprints, photo and vehicle information.

Legislators sent the governor 1,000 bills when they adjourned their 2001 session Sept. 15.