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You should point out that if she didn't want other people's opinions she shouldn't have posted her own on a (semi) public forum. It wasn't like you asked for her opinion and then disagreed. Free speech is a two way street. I've had a lot of liberal friends publicly voice an opinion and then be insulted by me rebutting them. I never bring up religion and politics, but I'll be damned if I'm going to be silent while people attack my beliefs. She is the one that brought this up... don't let her make you feel bad because you commented on it.

The best advice I can give though it is be respectful. Liberals won't be respectful back, but I have many friends in grad school who are starting to lean conservative after espousing very liberal ideas for several years. I would like to think a large part of this is my never getting angry or being rude in political discussions (although I don't concede anything) while many of our other liberal friends do.

Eventually people realize that if your ideas can stand on their own merits you don't need to.

Try this response to Krissy; its not great but maybe you can take something from it:

I am sorry for apparently offending you by offering my opinion on Prop 8. I come from a long line of Americans that believe that the free exchange of thought through polite discourse is an essential element of our democracy; and that when these ideas compete for acceptance "full and free discussion exposes the false, encourages the testing of our own prejudices and preconceptions... and keeps a society from becoming stagnant"[1]. The willingness of either side to debate an issue is an admission that ones views might be wrong or incomplete, which can sometimes be hard to do; but a belief that cannot be defended is not worth holding. When you offered your own opinion in public forum and started this debate I understandably recognized this as an invitation to join with you in this discussion, to further both our understandings of this issue and 'reduce our prejudices and preconceptions'. I won't make this mistake in the future.

[1] Justice Douglas' dissent in Dennis v. United States, 341 U.S. 494, 584 (1951)

-paridel

Opps! I lost something in posting, that one line should have read:

Eventually people realize that if your ideas can stand on their own merits you don't need to be rude or resort to ad hominem attacks.

-paridel

“I come from a long line of Americans that believe that the free exchange of thought . . .”

Brilliant response!