To Protect Marriage, Ban Divorce

If the whole point of banning gay marriage in California was to protect “traditional” marriage, shouldn’t voters go a step further and outlaw divorce, the No. 1 threat to domestic bliss? John Marcotte thinks so, and to that end the happily married—Catholic—father of two and ardent supporter of gay rights is attempting to get a divorce ban on the ballot next year. He’s even got signatures—dozens of them.

Marcotte needs 694,354 signatures by March, quite a hurdle for a campaign financed by $12 T-shirts. But the daunting odds have not dimmed his ardor. “Since California has decided to protect traditional marriage,” he tells the AP, “I think it would be hypocritical of us not to sacrifice some of our own rights to protect traditional marriage even more.” One gay rights group gets it—“We find it quite hilarious”—but they’re not helping. Still, about 50 people showed up at a recent rally at the state Capitol, some holding signs that read, "You too can vote to take away civil rights from someone." (More John Marcotte stories.)