Proposition 8: What I heard today and what I expect from it in a nutshell.

[JDPriestly]

50. As I think back, I believe that my first violin teacher was probably a

lesbian. Obviously, I was a nerdy kid and oblivious except that I noticed that she wore extremely plain clothes and didn't seem to care.

She was kind and patient, and that was all that mattered to me.

And then in music school at the university, there were lots of homosexuals. I never could understand why anyone would object -- except that one of the homosexuals, an outstanding violinist, a really great musician, whose name I cannot remember, was really attractive. That was annoying because, of course, he would never give me the time of day. I used to sit behind him and was in his theory classes. . . . Oh, well. He probably thought I was a pest. I think I was 17 or 18. That was too long ago.

To cut a very long story short, I had very good personal experiences with homosexuals throughout my life. I never really cared who was what once I was happily married. I just hoped others could have the opportunity to grow psychologically and spiritually that marriage, truly caring for and about another person and sharing your life can provide.

And my very elderly mother, a staunch Christian agrees. She thinks nobody should "live in sin" and that is her reason for supporting same-sex marriage. I agree with her.