The assault on the people's voice continued Wednesday. After addressing a couple of procedural matters, the plaintiffs called to the witness stand Mr. Ryan Kendall.
Mr. Kendall is not a California resident, nor was he ever a California resident. Mr. Kendall is not familiar with the Proposition 8 campaign; he has not seen any advertisements from either side regarding the campaign. Mr. Kendall has not sought a marriage license in California and has no plans to try to marry in California. In fact, Mr. Kendall is a resident of Colorado. Why on earth, then, is Mr. Kendall a witness in this case?
If you're asking that question, don't worry. We are, too. Mr. Kendall was called to testify exclusively to disparage (a) Christianity, and (b) conversion therapy. In open court, Mr. Kendall boldly proclaimed, "I am a gay man." He testified that he came to this realization at the age of 13, at which time he said his parents began a systematic effort to "convert" him back into a heterosexual. Mr. Kendall went on for a long time about how awful this experience was and how it has left an emotional scar on his life. What does this have to do with whether the U.S. Constitution contains within it a right to same-sex "marriage?" Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Whether one sympathizes or believes Mr. Kendall—or doesn't—has no bearing on the legal question at issue.
Notwithstanding the irrelevance of Mr. Kendall's testimony, he was effectively cross-examined by ProtectMarriage.com attorney Jim Campbell. Mr. Campbell, with the Alliance Defense Fund, clearly demonstrated the irrelevance of Mr. Kendall's testimony to the case at hand, noting that many individuals who seek out and desire conversion therapy have good results addressing their homosexual behavior and desires in a positive and constructive way. In other words, Mr. Kendall's single instance of a bad experience does not make the California marriage amendment unconstitutional.
The second witness of the day was Dr. Gary M. Segura, professor of American politics at Stanford. Dr. Segura, during direct examination, spent hours talking about the alleged lack of political power of the homosexual legal agenda in America. In short, Dr. Segura's testimony about the so-called "political powerlessness" was a walk through the looking glass. The homosexual legal agenda has been advanced by Hollywood, the mainstream media, the public education establishment, the university system, multiple billion-dollar foundations, public and private sector unions, the president of the United States, large majorities in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, the leadership of most professional organizations, a large number of major corporations, huge law firms, and other clout-brokers. Aside from that, I guess I have to concede that this particular group of activists is fighting "The Man" with scant ammo. But I guess as long as we are talking about redefining the word "marriage," we might as well redefine the word "powerlessness," too.
The trial does continue Thursday, so do stay tuned. The cross-examination of Dr. Segura is not yet complete.
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