Wednesday, November 12, 2008
It takes the majority...
So history is not my academic emphasis, I am a number geek. I'm not an expert, and I often find myself asking B historical questions that I'm sure are comically obvious to her. Having said that, the one thing that I am good at is questioning history and the way that the standard textbook stories are told to us. What I remember studying about the civil rights movement was about Rosa Parks, and MLK, and the amazing strength and courage that it took to stand up to the hegemony of the day and say "this is wrong." What I wonder is, would that alone have been enough if leaders in the majority had not fought alongside for the righteous cause? This is not to diminish the importance of the roles that minority leaders played. It was the spirit and strength that fueled the fight. I know this is a difficult argument to make, and I know that a similar comment by Hillary Clinton was heavily criticized and categorized as an attack on MLK himself. I am just wondering.
I am wondering because I see the parallel now in the fight for the right to marry. Do you really think that gay people alone championing this cause will ever be enough? This is not to diminish the important work of the HRC, and the NCLR and the fearless gay leaders who have given their voices and stories to the cause. What I am trying to say that it is my opinion that the momentum will only shift when straight people start to fight for this cause with the same passion that I do. When Arnold Schwarzenegger changes from saying, "it is the will of the people" to "it is time to change this" and signs the legislation that enacts marriage equality, when Diane Feinstein changes from simply speaking out against proposition 8 to bringing a bill to repeal DOMA, when President-Elect Obama springs from acknowledging gay people in his election night speech to fighting for the equality of all Americans actively by using the executive order to repeal "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and nominating supreme court justices who will recognize that DOMA is a clear violation of full faith and credit, even under the most conservative interpretation...this is when gay rights will become the reality.
Minorities can not bring the change alone. It takes the majority to join the fight. And so I ask you, what have you done? What are you willing to do? Have you spoken to your friends about the issue? Have you written to your representatives? Some day, our son will be able to travel to any state and know that is moms are protected there the same way we are at home. This is when I will know that we have overcome.
I am wondering because I see the parallel now in the fight for the right to marry. Do you really think that gay people alone championing this cause will ever be enough? This is not to diminish the important work of the HRC, and the NCLR and the fearless gay leaders who have given their voices and stories to the cause. What I am trying to say that it is my opinion that the momentum will only shift when straight people start to fight for this cause with the same passion that I do. When Arnold Schwarzenegger changes from saying, "it is the will of the people" to "it is time to change this" and signs the legislation that enacts marriage equality, when Diane Feinstein changes from simply speaking out against proposition 8 to bringing a bill to repeal DOMA, when President-Elect Obama springs from acknowledging gay people in his election night speech to fighting for the equality of all Americans actively by using the executive order to repeal "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and nominating supreme court justices who will recognize that DOMA is a clear violation of full faith and credit, even under the most conservative interpretation...this is when gay rights will become the reality.
Minorities can not bring the change alone. It takes the majority to join the fight. And so I ask you, what have you done? What are you willing to do? Have you spoken to your friends about the issue? Have you written to your representatives? Some day, our son will be able to travel to any state and know that is moms are protected there the same way we are at home. This is when I will know that we have overcome.
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Difference between CA and WI
It's now 3 days since the election and I am over my blues.
This is actually the second time that I lived in a state that voted successfully to amend their constitution with the stain of hate. Here is why I am feeling a little better: first, since the start of this blog,I have gotten emails from friends all around the country, and had a stream of friends and coworkers personally express their anguish. These are friends who are gay, straight, white, Indian, Asian, Hispanic, young, old, single, married, conservative, liberal, Democrats and Republicans. When I lived in Wisconsin, not one person did this. So there seems to be a new awareness for the issue. And that awareness is growingly national.
I am encouraged that there are already 3 significant court challenges seeking to overturn the apparent passage of Prop Hate. These challenge the constitutionality (Yes, an amendment to a constitution does not become constitutional simply because voters say so, it has to jive with the rest of the constitution in which it resides), the validity of the proposition (In CA, it takes vote of over50% to pass an amendment. A revision, however, requires legislative action and a 2/3 vote of the people. Arguably, Prop Hate was a revision.), and that it violates a persons equal protection. When I lived in WI, there were no court challenges.
So the biggest difference between CA and WI? To borrow that powerful word from President Elect Oabam: hope. I can hope that my constitution will protect my family from discrimination. I can hope that true acceptance is gaining momentum. I can hope that the day is coming when all people are treated with love and dignity, and all families are respected.
This is actually the second time that I lived in a state that voted successfully to amend their constitution with the stain of hate. Here is why I am feeling a little better: first, since the start of this blog,I have gotten emails from friends all around the country, and had a stream of friends and coworkers personally express their anguish. These are friends who are gay, straight, white, Indian, Asian, Hispanic, young, old, single, married, conservative, liberal, Democrats and Republicans. When I lived in Wisconsin, not one person did this. So there seems to be a new awareness for the issue. And that awareness is growingly national.
I am encouraged that there are already 3 significant court challenges seeking to overturn the apparent passage of Prop Hate. These challenge the constitutionality (Yes, an amendment to a constitution does not become constitutional simply because voters say so, it has to jive with the rest of the constitution in which it resides), the validity of the proposition (In CA, it takes vote of over50% to pass an amendment. A revision, however, requires legislative action and a 2/3 vote of the people. Arguably, Prop Hate was a revision.), and that it violates a persons equal protection. When I lived in WI, there were no court challenges.
So the biggest difference between CA and WI? To borrow that powerful word from President Elect Oabam: hope. I can hope that my constitution will protect my family from discrimination. I can hope that true acceptance is gaining momentum. I can hope that the day is coming when all people are treated with love and dignity, and all families are respected.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Two days after
Angry and bitter are just not words that typically describe me. I've heard goofy, and ebullient. Typically I am pretty positive, a peacemaker by nature.
But today, carrying over from yesterday, I am angry and bitter. I feel like I have been sucker punched, thrown under the bus, and voted off the island. It's all because of the apparent (and I mean apparent as I have heard over 2,000,000 ballots have yet to be counted and nothing has been certified) passage of proposition 8. You know, the one that says that gay people are less than straight people. That our relationships and our families don't count. That one.
I always thought of myself as a bit of an idealist, not needing the government to tell me that my love was real. Somehow though, on the morning of the 5th, I didn't feel that way anymore. I felt like I had been told by my state that I wasn't a citizen that counted.
Imagine, if you will, putting YOUR marriage up for referendum. YOUR family. How would you feel if people voted no, that you couldn't have those same recognitions, rights, and protections that your neighbors have because someone that you don't even know thinks it isn't okay. Just think about that. How would you feel? I can speculate that you'd feel awful. I can also speculate that unless you are gay and recently married in CA that you can't even begin to imagine the pit that would be sitting in your stomach, the disgust for the system that would eat at your core, and the hurt, anger and bitterness that feels absolutely paralyzing.
Today, I feel betrayed by the emptiness of the "inalienable rights" guaranteed me by the CA constitution. Let's just go ahead and put "unless you are gay" at the end of that article.
So, today, I am trying to work past the negativity that I have felt for the last two days. I am going to try to channel my thoughts and energies into ideas and action. It's time for one more gay voice. I hope anyone who reads this will take a moment today to think about the sadness that your gay friends, neighbors, and coworkers are feeling. Take a moment to send a quick note, or give a special hug. I came into work today to find a note taped to my monitor. It said:
Went home thinking about the two of you and Rhys--Yes, California is not
what one hears out there. We won't give up the fight."
It was from my boss. So maybe I can take that sentiment and start thinking about Obama's hope and change. Please pass it on.
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