so tuesday, as i sat in the methodist church in my neighborhood of san francisco, and witnessed my assemblyman mark leno, my boss and friend and colleague, put forward the marriage equality bill for the state of california, i hearkened back to my family's methodist church in missouri. and i thought, how different and yet how similar. same faith, different environments, same faith, different people, same faith, different ideologies (?), it's hard to say. i know the pastor of my family's church comes from a different perspective with her faith than the pastor of this church. but i'm not so sure the churchmembers themselves are all that different from those here. the methodist faith, wherever it is, tries its best to teach love, understanding, equality, but sometimes the words don't come out the same and the teachings come out different. and often methodists disagree with methodists, as people of faith often disagree with other people of the same faith. but that seems to be the nature of our world, in that we all have opinions. but hopefully, if we hold dear and strong to the notions of respect and equality and love, we can bridge all these differences of opinions within the faiths.

on tuesday, assemblyman mark leno historically introduced the marriage equality bill within my neighborhood methodist church's santuary:
America was founded on the concept of separation of church and state, with the guarantee that religious freedom will be respected and the state will treat all people equally in the eyes of the law... At long last, this bill puts that fundamental right into practice - allowing loving, committed same-sex couples who want to devote their lives to one another, raise families, and protect themselves and their children the same rights and responsibilities as different-sex couples with the same goals and dreams.... As with interracial marriage, it is only a matter of time until Americans realize that two people who love one another and wish to spend their lives together is not a threat, but rather a positive, stabilizing force not only for them, but for society as a whole... I am proud to put forward a bill that will end California's endorsement of second-class citizenship for its LGBT citizens.