California's gay war continues! Almost a year after voters squashed hundreds of homo dreams, the group Love Honor Cherish filed a measure yesterday to put gay marriage back on the ballot. That may not be the best idea.

First and foremost, California may not be ready for such a game-changing vote. The state, frankly, has bigger problems to tackle, such as its debt and the fact that it's always on fire. Plus, the last gay marriage fight there cost about $83 million. It's unlikely that Love Honor Cherish can rally the funds necessary to bring in one million ballot-making signatories and months of campaigning.

As if that's not enough, it's this (engaged, gay) writer's opinion that gay activists should set their sights on more fundamental issues, like employment non-discrimination. Though marriage remains a tempting right, there are scads of gay folk who simply, for whatever reason, don't want to marry. But they still need to work. Wouldn't it be better to focus our energies on a more universal cause, like assurance that one can't be fired for being gay or trans? I think so.

Then, there's the political aspect: it's no secret that Democrats are more gay-friendly than the Republican set. That's a given. It's also a given that Democrats will face a hard fight in the next campaign. If Californian or other lawmakers are encouraged to — and do — support gay rights, they may come up against the ever-growing anti-government right wing. If the politicians don't support the measure they'll be labeled homophobes and lose the lavender vote. Either way, they lose. And then so do gay people.