When is a ferret like same-sex marriage?
By Christie Keith
October 16, 2008
I’m on the mailing list for the California Legalization Initiative for Ferrets, run by a guy named Pat Wright, who also maintains LegalizeFerrets.org. (For those who don’t know and can’t imagine anything this stupid, it’s illegal to keep pet ferrets in California.)
I don’t know Pat, although I interviewed him for an article on ferret legalization once. So when I saw an email from him with the subject line “No on Proposition 8,” I wasn’t sure what to think. Proposition 8 is a proposed amendment to the California state constitution to eliminate the right of lesbians and gay men to marry legally, which we currently have.
I’m opposed to Prop 8 myself, for obvious reasons, but I was still puzzled. Why was I getting political email on a ferret list? Then I read it, and it made perfect sense.
When the ferret legalization group did some polling in California to find out if a ballot initiative to legalize ferrets would succeed, they discovered that only 38 percent of all Californians would vote to support it. Pat figured that since they don’t actually know any ferrets, or anyone who keeps them — or at least, who admits it — it’s easy enough for them to dismiss the issue. It’s not about them, so who cares?
Similar polls suggest the same is true about marriage equality for lesbians and gay men: maybe you’re a ranging homophobe, but most likely it’s just not your issue, doesn’t affect you or anyone you know, so who cares?
But Pat has a theory, and he decided to share it with the nearly 4000 people on his ferret legalization list:
Polling done on Proposition 8 shows that voters who personally know gay people are more likely to vote against Prop 8.
So – if you don’t know me already – how do you do?
Above is a photo of my spouse Jim on the left and I’m on the right. We were married on June 27th.
Jim and I have been together for 14 years. We have a great home, a loving family of four dogs, three ferrets and a cat. Jim has been there for me through all I’ve been through ferret and otherwise. When my ferret Rocky was seized from the vet and euthanized – Jim stood by me. When I was sentenced to 45 days in jail for the ferrets (well, there is more to that story…) Jim stood by me.
[....]
One person’s rights ends where another’s begins. It is the same with ferrets as same sex marriage. People need to mind their own business. Live and let live.
If you live with a ferret – you know that. But if you’ve never met gay people, if you are unfamiliar with the issue – you may vote yes. “Marriage between a man and woman” seems logical on the face of it.
But one size doesn’t fit all. Not everyone wants just a dog or just a cat. Some people are in the minority and our (their) rights need to be respected as well.
I asked Pat if I could blog this here, and he said yes. He also said he’d had, at least so far, only two negative responses. Out of nearly 4000, that’s not so bad.
“Thank you for indulging me,” he wrote. “If Prop 8 were to pass by just a few votes, I would be very upset for not sending this out.”
I dunno — seems that in California, ferret owners have to stay deeper in the closet than any (non-Republican-politician) gay citizen.
And of course, Rudy Guliani is okay with gays, but has a rhinoceros beetle up his butt about ferrets.
But “seized from the vet and ‘euthanized’” is maybe an appropriate stand-in for the bygone days of “committed to a mental institution” or the current “held captive by Christian ‘deprogrammers’ hired by my parents.”
When I lived in Massachusetts, pet ferrets were illegal. (They are now permitted under rather ridiculous conditions that cater to the ferret-millers.)
But is it not strange, that the two states in which ferrets have been illegal are the same ones that are awkwardly spearheading same-sex marriage?
Comment by H. Houlahan — October 16, 2008 @ 7:25 am
Pat’s story has the ring of the sweet truths we all can identify with in some way or another. I like his take.
“rhinoceros beetle” LOL
Comment by Dr Patty Khuly — October 17, 2008 @ 6:54 am
They took away his ferret and killed it? That’s…horrible…
Comment by mikken — October 17, 2008 @ 6:58 am
Please publish the name of this vet office. so we can steer clear of it. We should have a list somewhere list places that we should under no circumstances take our beloved ferrets,
Comment by mark — October 20, 2008 @ 6:35 am
The vet clinic didn’t have anything to do with it. San Diego Animal Control under the authority of Mary K Gagliardo showed up to confiscate Rocky.
Comment by Pat Wright — October 20, 2008 @ 7:39 am
I just wanted to say that I am no longer a member of the 3000 club due to the fact that it is now pushing homosexual propaganda in addition to the legalization of ferrets. Whether or not I agree or disagree with gay rights is irrelevant, I joined the 3000 club for ferrets, not gays! I still support the legalization of ferrets but I no longer support the 3000 club for this reason.
Comment by Tate — November 10, 2008 @ 4:24 pm
Don’t let the door hit you in the behind on the way out.
Comment by Christie Keith — November 10, 2008 @ 4:28 pm
Um, ditto that.
“Homosexual propoganda,” as in the notion that everyone is entitled to the same civil rights?
Asshat.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 10, 2008 @ 4:29 pm