I am angry and I am frustrated. One of these days I will wake up the Wednesday after voting day and not have to worry about this all. I can’t wait for that day; a day when equal rights for gays and lesbians will not be put up for a popular vote because for one, no one will think twice about taking away rights, and two systems will adjust to stop this from happening in the first place. One of the core beliefs of our nation’s finding was the idea that the minority must be protected by the tyranny of the majority. As we fight for LGBT equality, we fight for this principle.
We lost Maine’s Prop 1 battle. Yes on Prop 1 won. A revisit of Prop 8 a year later, to the date. This time, anti-equality voters won at a 57% to 43% margin. This gap was slightly larger than Prop 8’s 52-48 vote. This small percentage gap we keep losing by is frustrating, but also gives me a lot of hope. I think this gap will be gone by a mere departure to heaven by the oldest generation. The oldest generation still has this conservative viewpoint on a lot of things in American life. They weren’t teenagers during the sexual liberation of the 60s/70s. They were the ones who built up the conservative 1950s that helped give way to the liberal push in the 60s/70s.
I did some historical math and I see some good things in the near future. Let me give you some hope through historical discourse:
**15th Amendment – Right to vote for all races (women still excluded) – 1870
**19th Amendment – Right to vote for women – 1920
**Civil Rights Act of 1964 – No discrimination based on race, sex or religion, 1964
We have 45-50 years between these civil rights pushes. One leads to the other, but the struggle was always happening before that. Black men got the right to vote, which pushed women to keep their fight for suffrage. These two minorities then pushed together for civil rights equality, which happened 44 years after suffrage. This helped give way to the gay liberation movement with Stonewall in 1969, 40 years ago. Based purely on historical discourse, we are right at the breaking point. You can see this with the signing of the Matthew Shepard Act a couple weeks back, the first major federal gay rights law. Although citizens of states are ripping marriage rights from us, we are gaining some major ground in other facets of daily life and new levels of government not seen in quite some time.
Let this be the history lesson for the day. Get angry, but we must keep faith and hope! Our time is now, but we just have to keep fighting the good fight and remember that we have justice on our side. We did this last year and we will do it this year. We’re on the winning side of history and we must tell ourselves that every day.
Lady Gaga used her celebrity to get press around the National Equality March. She performed at the HRC Event Saturday night and briefly spoke at the rally on the Capitol on Sunday. She attacks Barney Franks comments about the march and more importantly asks President Obama an important question.
I do not have faith in Jesus Christ. I do not have faith in Allah. I put no faith in religion or its deities. I really never have and I am not sure if I ever will. The one thing I have always had an undying faith in is the Constitution of the United States, the fundamental and structural core of this nation’s government. It has been altered and misconstrued. It has been abused, and it has been tested. In the end, the central principles our Founding Fathers incorporated into this living document have survived and proven to provide justice more often than not.
The Constitution has always seemed genius to me, in that, unlike the Bible, it recognizes the need to live, grow and adapt. I have an unaltered faith that the Constitution, and those in power to defend it, will realize the necessity of standing up to social injustice and provide equality to all citizens of this nation. Until this happens, I march. We march. We assemble peaceably to remind the nation of the core principles of this nation, liberty and justice for all. Like Jehovah Witnesses in a suburban neighborhood, we knocked on the White House’s door. We knocked on the Capitol Building’s door. On October 11, 2009, an estimated 200,000 people knocked to say, “Equality across America.”
In September, I got word that an equality march was being planned in Washington, DC to bring attention to gay and lesbian rights, or lack thereof. At that point, my friends and I had marched on San Francisco’s City Hall. We drove to Sacramento to march on our state’s capitol. We decided the time had come to fly to our nation’s capitol to march for what we deserve, our full civil rights. Travel plans were made and off we went to explore the core of our country’s government. Off we went to stand up to social injustice, for ourselves, for those who cannot speak, and for the future.
We did not know what to expect in numbers for the march; the effectiveness of such a march continually ridiculed by many on both sides of the political spectrum. As days neared to the march, news was released that President Obama would speak at the Human Rights Coalition (HRC) event the night before the march. This had to be a sign that the march was going to be something worthy of getting President Obama to speak the night before. In a sense, a victory had been won without anyone actually marching. President Obama speaking at the HRC got the cause of equality in the headlines for the weekend; it got people talking. The conversation fueled once more. It seemed from an outsider’s standpoint that the march we were to embark upon must have helped, even just a tad, in convincing President Obama to speak at this important event. He spoke and it was, more or less, the same rhetoric he used in his campaign, but at least we know he has not forgotten and more importantly, he knows we have not forgotten.
October 11, 2009, National Coming Out Day, our day to march on the nation’s capitol, had arrived. We walked to the gathering point of the march and waited for it to begin. As we waited, we looked up to see a huge rainbow in the sky; an actual rainbow adorning us from above. It had to be a sign that we were doing something special. Thousands of people gathered. We stood waiting for an hour thinking we were held up from marching down Pennsylvania Avenue, past the White House and to the Capitol. Unsure of the reason for the wait, we maneuvered through the crowd only to find that the turnout had the streets so filled that it took an hour to get all the marchers down the route to allow us to start moving. It was massive. Rainbow flags everywhere. Massive signs calling for equality and justice. People of all colors, all ages, all sexual orientations. It was a colorful and powerful display. 200,000-250,000 people marched in front of the White House and then stood before the Capitol Building. A spectacular site to be seen. Although, the turnout was smaller than that in marches in 2000, 1993 and the late 80s, something was done and someone heard.
Barney Frank, D-MA, said that the National Equality March was “only putting pressure on the grass” and that such peaceful assemblies do little to persuade Congress into making decisions. He said the march was more of an emotional release for those marching. I certainly agree that participating in the National Equality March was an emotional release, a powerful release of all sorts of emotions. I felt empowered, and knew that the same document that gives me the freedom of speech and to peaceably assemble will one day work to give me the equality I so rightfully am due. We had to bring attention to Maine’s Prop 1, the Prop 8 of Maine. Washington state has pending legislation to remove domestic partnership rights from the state. This was not just about pressuring Congress to act, it was about bringing attention to each piece of social injustice happening in our nation.
None of us marching expect Congress to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) or Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) in the next couple weeks. Lady Gaga’s speech at the steps of the Capital Building put it perfectly, “President Obama, I know you are listening. ARE YOU LISTENING?” We marched on Sunday, October 11, 2009 to remind Congress, to remind the President and to remind America that we are not done. We marched on Sunday to get one more person to listen and say, “Enough is enough. These people are right.” This march keeps the conversation alive and in our system, the conversation must be kept alive because one day, one or all of the branches in Washington are going to acknowledge, provide and protect equal civil rights for the LGBT community. Until this day happens, I will put “pressure on the grass” for me and for my country, because as FDR said:
We must scrupulously guard the civil rights and civil liberties of all citizens, whatever their background. We must remember that any oppression, any injustice, any hatred, is a wedge designed to attack our civilization.
Below, artists use movement, color and music to spread their ideas at the National Equality March.
NoH8 Campaign recently released this PSA for their new effort against California’s Prop 8. Visit www.noH8campaign.com to see how art is being used to send a powerful message. Celebrities and everyday Californian citizens alike are joining together to show their continue disapproval of Prop 8 and the continued fight to repeal it.
It has been quite some time since I have updated my blog. The unemployment rate and economic status of the nation has had me working especially hard to ensure the job I have remains the job I have, as jobless rates continue to rise in California. Between all the news of President Obama’s health care reform, American journalists being freed from North Korean jail and Iranian political unrest, a little thing we call equality has slipped under the radar. This time we return back to the state of Maine, where just a few months ago, its state legislature passed a marriage equality law. Thanks to Facebook, Maine’s Prop 1 has been brought to my attention. In the news of the world, it seems that in headline reading, this proposed ballot measure has somewhat slipped under the radar in the past week.
On July 31st, opponents of marriage equality provided 100,000 signatures to Maine’s state government in a bid to put a measure on the next ballot to overturn the state legislatures’ marriage equality law signed in May 2009. Named “Prop 1,” if approved, the measure would return Maine to a “domestic partnership” state. Maine officials have until early September to validate at least 55,087 signatures, but efforts from both sides of marriage equality are beginning.
Opponents of marriage equality have hired the same public relations group that led California’s Prop 8 victory. Yes, this is dejavu. In doing a bit of research on Prop 1, it seems that some citizens supporting marriage equality believe that equality will be upheld and it will simply strengthen the legislature’s own measure and validate equality in the state. Opponents to equality are singing the same ol’ song they sing in every state, “The foundation of our society is marriage between a man and woman.” We all know the story from Prop 8 last year.
It feels like marriage equality has become of a game of Battleship. B12; hit. H5; miss. C8; miss. J2; hit. It is up and down, win and defeat. This makes me wonder if this is why even the general press did not report heavily on this finding. Perhaps it is too early. It may be because I do not live in Maine. Doing a general online search for “Prop 1″ or “Maine Prop 1″ brings up more results about Prop 8 then the new issue in Maine. Someone better hire a SEO specialist!
Time to sink another ship. Maine; Prop1; hit; sunk!
For the record, NO on Prop 1 means you support gay marriage. YES on Prop 1 means you support inequality. Yep, this is Prop 8 all over again. Taking 75% of the time just to make sure people understand what a yes or no vote ACTUALLY means. Let’s hope this time everyone gets it right!
FunnyorDie.com does it again with a great mockery of “The Gathering Storm” commercial conservatives launched last week. This video takes apart each piece of the ridiculous commercial the National Organization for Marriage released. Featuring Alicia Silverstone, Lance Bass, various comedians and other celebrities, this video is hilarious!
Colbert exposes the stupidity of the anti-gay marriage movement. His mockery of the “storm” commercial exposes the holes in the anti-gay marriage arguments and realizes the actual fears of the “storm” commercial. Join the Colbert Coalition. Take note at the end of the commercial where Colbert suggests the heavy involvement of the Mormon church in the marriage discussion.
Iowa’s state Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling in favor of same sex marriage on Friday, April 3, 2009. This makes Iowa the first state in the Mid-West to move towards equality in the marriage realm. Iowa’s state law banning same sex marriage was unanimously shot down by the court on grounds that it “excluded a historically disfavored class of persons from a supremely important civil institution without a constitutionally sufficient justification” and violated the equal protection clause of the state constitution.
Same sex marriage is expected to begin in Iowa on April 24th, making it one of three states that does so. Vermont is on the verge of gaining enough votes to overpower a governor veto, which will make same sex marriage legal in that state. Iowa, surprisingly, has historically been a leader in equality being among initial states to legalize interracial marriage, desegregating schools and providing the right of married women to own property.
California’s legalization of same sex marriage lasted all of six months before a constitutional amendment quickly outlawed it. Iowa will not suffer the same fate, as citizens are unable to quickly amend the constitution. The state legislature must begin the process and due to the timeline within the legislature and elections, the earliest an amendment could come to the ballot would be 2014.
Vermont’s legislative approval of same sex marriage and Iowa’s court ruling all point in the right direction for equality. Even though California approved a ban on same sex marriage through the amendment process, the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of equality, as Iowa and Massachusette state courts did. As state supreme courts continually rule in this manner, it really is a matter of time before the case is brought before the Supreme Court and they too will rule for equality. The state by state strategy is seen as more effective in ensuring a federal Supreme Court ruling in favor of same sex marriage, which is the ultimate goal.
Judge Judy tells Larry King that she doesn’t understand why people work so diligently to prevent gays from getting married when there are so many other problems that need attention.
Lady Gaga’s new video for “Telephone” featuring Beyonce. This is 9.5 minutes of fun imagery, great music and dancing. There is blatant product placement to remind us that Gaga is playing into the “pop” ideal unashamed. There is a nod to Cher with some fishnet stockings and Taratino inspired themes dribbled throughout the short film.
I am angry and I am frustrated. One of these days I will wake up the Wednesday after voting day and not have to worry about this all. I can’t wait for that day; a day when equal rights for gays and lesbians will not be put up for a popular vote because for one, no one will think twice about taking away rights, and two systems will adjust to stop this from happening in the first place. One of the core beliefs of our nation’s finding was the idea that the minority must be protected by the tyranny of the majority. As we fight for LGBT equality, we fight for this principle.
We have 45-50 years between these civil rights pushes. One leads to the other, but the struggle was always happening before that. Black men got the right to vote, which pushed women to keep their fight for suffrage. These two minorities then pushed together for civil rights equality, which happened 44 years after suffrage. This helped give way to the gay liberation movement with Stonewall in 1969, 40 years ago. Based purely on historical discourse, we are right at the breaking point. You can see this with the signing of the Matthew Shepard Act a couple weeks back, the first major federal gay rights law. Although citizens of states are ripping marriage rights from us, we are gaining some major ground in other facets of daily life and new levels of government not seen in quite some time.
