I am a Young Democrat of America and My Voice will be Heard! My name is Merissa Magdael-Lauron; I am 17 years-old and my huge family and I were born and raised in Stockton, California. I am a Filipina-American and proud to live in the city marked as the Little Manila historical site for once being the most populated city of Filipinos in the nation. I am currently a senior at Cesar Chavez High School and I plan to go to Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts to major in Music Composition.

 

So why did I become a Young Democrat of America and volunteer for the 2008 campaign? The truth is, when the presidential campaign began, I really didn’t care who would be the Republican Nominee or the Democrat Nominee. Personally, I just wanted someone different from George W. Bush, someone who would make a difference and a change, regardless the political party they represented. I didn’t want the next eight years of my life to be the same as the last, especially because I am going to college next year and starting a new chapter in my life. It was not until the Vice-President Nominee was announced for the Republican Party that I realized I had to get off my behind and make sure that Gov. Sarah Palin never stepped anywhere near the White House. The first time I saw her on television I knew she wasn’t picked for her intelligence in politics or her political experience; I was so angry at how stupid this political move was just to get media attention for McCain. Governor Sarah Palin was literally a heart-beat away from becoming President of the United States and I could not let that happen or so-help-me-God. So that is when I became highly involved in the campaign and made it my life goal to help Obama and the Democrats win the election. I began with phone banking from the Barack Obama website calling battle ground states and then I found myself at the Young Democratic headquarters in Stockton with my friends and that is when the real excitement began. I gave it my all, going in to volunteer every chance I got because I knew that this was the most important presidential election of all time for the future of America and in the end it was all worth it. It was amazing to see all types of people from all over the community come together and work as a team for the same purpose. It is an experience that I will never forget and it has inspired me to keep standing up for what I believe in and I will continue to support Barack Obama in any way I can.

 

However, with every victory there is a tragedy. I am so devastated that Proposition 8 was passed. I hate the fact that churches paid millions of dollars to support Prop 8 when that money could have been used to feed the hungry, aid the helpless, or something more beneficial to the world. This issue is about equality for all and everyone deserves equal rights. Gay marriage will not be part of the education curriculum because we don’t even learn “traditional” marriage in school. If rapists, adulterers, and murderers are allowed to get married...then why can’t gay people? Prop 8 is prejudice and unfair. God’s love is unconditional and I highly doubt He’ll keep people away from Heaven just because they’re gay.