Cody McClain Brown, popularni bloger i "hrvatski zet" koji je domaću javnost osvojio blogom "Zablogreb" u kojem iznosi svoja oštroumna i duhovita zapažanja o razlikama između američke i hrvatske kulture, politke i ekonomije, za crol.hr napisao je zašto smatra da je referendum beskoristan, zašto podržava bračnu jednakost te zašto bi svi trebali imati - punice.

Kako bi se u cijelosti zadržao njegov osebujan stil, objavljujemo ga u izvornoj, engleskoj verziji:

As an American from Oklahoma I am all too familiar with same-sex marriage ballot initiatives and referendums. We’ve been down this path before. Back in Oklahoma, opponents of gay marriage often say some of the silliest things.

They claim that if women can marry women and men can marry men then all of the socially important bonds of matrimony will be destroyed. Now, how can you destroy marriage by letting more people get married? And just because same sex couples can get married doesn’t mean that heterosexual couples will cease to enter into lawfully sanctioned unions. Unless of course those against same sex marriage are actually gay and only marrying members of the opposite sex because to do otherwise would be against the law. Are you all gay?

Those in support of the referendum are on the wrong side of history

So now Croatia has decided to become more like Oklahoma and rewrite the constitution so it bans same-sex marriage. Well, go ahead and hold your silly referendum. I mean I can’t think of anything else 47 million kuna could be better spent on, or other problems Croatians should be more concerned with. But, let me tell you, coming from a country that has already been here, it’s useless. Those of you in support of the referendum are on the wrong side of history.

When several of these ballot initiatives were enacted in the US in 2004, the majority of Americans were opposed to same-sex marriage. Only 32% were in support of marriage equality. Now, just 9 years later the opposite is true. Different polls show 52% and 55% in favor of a national law for marriage equality. More Americans now agree with each other about the rights of the LGBT community and are in support of greater rights! When is the last time you heard of Americans agreeing on anything?

Best thing that could happen to LGBT people

If the last 200 years has shown us anything it’s that the world is striving to become a more equitable place. More and more of the world’s population is enfranchised. People in Egypt, Syria, Turkey, Moldova, and countless other countries are fighting for their rights to be heard and to have an equal say in the society around them. Their struggles will be long and hard, but I see it as a sign that the tide of change is rising. It will rise here too.

To my LGBT friends, just as the polls show in America, this is best thing that could happen to you! Seriously. Again, look at the case of the US. By having the referendum, the issue of same sex marriage has come to the forefront, and you all are its innocent victims. And nothing moves opinion like hapless innocent victims. And how can the 700,000 signatories on the petition make themselves look like the victims. Oh wait, they must be the victims of someone else’s... love? What? No!

And if they want to wrap their bigotry in the cloak of religion then they should just ask themselves, what would Jesus do? He would probably be more concerned about the world’s growing economic disparity and the plight of the poor than the proliferation of state sanctioned love. Even the Pope agrees with me on that. So, LGBTers, right, you have history on your side. Of course it might take a while for the river of time to right its course, but it will. And when it does, I want to come to the wedding. Can you imagine a gay Croatian wedding? That’s like 2-3 days of fabulousness!

Punicas for everyone!

Look, one of the greatest things about living in Croatia is the closeness of family. Here it is not uncommon to have multiple generations living in one house. Even when parents and children don’t live with each other, the parents play an active role in the lives of their kids, and especially grandkids. I know because my Punica stays with us all the time! And (usually) I’m glad that she does.

The difference between a Punica and an American mother-in-law is immeasurable. I have expatriated myself to Croatia because I have a strong appreciation for this country’s cultural and social customs. Just like the institution of coffee is, I believe, instrumental to the harmony of Croatian society, so too is the role of Punica.

Punicas are what feed, adequately clothe, and most importantly transmit the past traditions to each new generation. If you want to really strengthen families in Croatia, produce more Punicas. For that reason, I am for same-sex marriages. Same-sex marriage means more married couples and that means more Punicas! I say: Punicas for All! Punicas for everyone!