Oh, This So Isn't Over Yet!

I am utterly outraged. I feel beyond betrayed. I wonder what it will take to rectify this country's concept of Equality with the actual practice of it.

Proposition 8 will officially pass in California, stripping thousands of residents of their constitutional right (the first time such a thing has happened in our history, mind you) to marriage, officially establishing GLBT persons as second-class citizens and voiding the hundreds of marriages performed between same-sex couples since the ban was lifted by the California Supreme Court.

Once I saw that Obama had won the Presidency, and handily so, all my focus shifted to California. In a sad and utterly pathetic show of internalization, I didn't have much hope for the marriage ban amendments up for vote in Florida and Arizona (although, I did not expect Florida's ban to pass with such a large majority as it did). But California was different. Marriage is a right afforded to all persons regardless of sexual orientation, according to the California Constitution. At least, it was. Gay persons had not married in Florida yet, nor Arizona, but many already had in California. Many had already made plans for their future and for the family they hoped to start with the protections that ONLY marriage affords. Now, Californian's have shown their true color and proved that the LIES and DECEPTIONS of religious INTOLERANCE have found a way to win.

All I wanted to do today is rage. Rage against every person of religious faith. Rage against every straight person that feels they are better than me. Rage against those that support indoctrinated hate and bigotry, no matter where it lies. I simply can't do it though. I can't just scream at the problem, it obviously isn't scared of my roar. So what can I do?

Fight. This battle is long from over. Just as these Christian hate groups have gone out of their way to tell me I'm wrong, that I'm a bad person for loving, just as long as they fight to indoctrinate our country with their minority views, I will fight to uphold equality. We lost a vote in California, a vote that should not have been allowed in the first place, but it's one state. As sad as it is to look at history, we have to understand that no battle for rights has been won over night, and not a one has been won easily.

I appreciate and welcome all the support we can get in this fight. We can't be angry with all the heterosexual persons. We are but 10-15% of the population. We have to rely on our allies fighting with and for us to get anywhere. We may have to change our strategies, and maybe even change our leadership (find some, for that matter). We cannot give up now, and we will continue to fight until we have won.