Fighting Against The Wall

I don't get it. I'm angry. I'm a fighter. But I also recognize where there is a wall and that beating on that wall is useless. The wall doesn't invalidate our fight, but there's other ways around the wall than straight through.

There will always be angry, anti-gay Christian Extremists in the world. At least as long as we're alive, since I doubt the next fad religion will pop up anytime soon. People like Peter LaBarbera, who post up (presumably real) letters from gay people threatening him in an attempt to raise money from supporters and show the world how evil we Gays really are, will always be ignorant. Although people have changed opinions before, it's highly unlikely that people that make their living off of Extremism will ever change. I've accepted that and moved on. I can achieve my prize of acceptance and equality without him.

What saddens me then is when people I respect, like Jeremy from Good As You, posts up a response in kind, showing the world similar letters that he receives in what amounts to a "I know you are, but what am I?" argument. There are other things to worry about than LaBarbera's assassanine attempts to defame our community. Move around him, make him irrelevant, and he will disappear.

I suppose it upsets me because saying "Me Too!" to an argument doesn't really win the argument, nor does it further it. The fact that either personality receives hate mail is irrelevant. Everyone who has posted an opinion anywhere has received hate messages. Hell, I have, and I have just a handful of readers. The way to attack LaBarbera is to invalidate his claims. Who cares that he receives hate mail? He's an ass-hat, he deserves the hate mail. What we want is equality, and argueing about who's hate mail is worse doesn't get us to that goal, it simply gets us to obssess over the the wall rather than finding a way around it.

I'm Tired Of Hearing It!

Cincinnati's favorite son George Clooney had some interesting things to say about California's passing of Proposition 8:

"At some point in our lifetime, gay marriage won't be an issue, and everyone who stood against this civil right will look as outdated as George Wallace standing on the school steps keeping James Hood from entering the University of Alabama because he was black."

Hmmm. Well, I have a few opinions here.

First, thank's for the support George. Seriously, we need all the allies we can get, and someone as well known as yourself can truly help to change the minds and hearts of some people out there.

With that said, my second opinion is this is a lotta too late. George, I really appreciate your support, but where were you prior to November 4? A lot of those older voters that adore your mother and respected your father may have listened to what you had to say. An ally with a fan base like yours and a family tree like yours could have seriously helped out.

Third, and this isn't so much George, but everyone really: We need to stop assuming our rights will come to us in time. Wake up everyone! 30 states have stripped LGBT persons of their right to marriage and many others have deemed us unworthy to adopt children by no other consideration than who we love. Every election cycle, more Christian-backed Conservative groups stage marriage initiatives in more states and win. The only eventuality I can see is the complete reduction of my rights as an American simply because I love another man.

If we want marriage equality, if we want to have the same rights as everyone else, if we want to be able to live not as second-class citizens but as rightful Americans, we need to stand up and fight for it. No one sat back and said:

"Ya know, I think those Red Coats will leave eventually, it's just a matter of time. Let's just sit back and have some tea until then"

Or:

"I think us black people will be able to finally fulfill our dreams in this country and have an equal voice at some point, but until then we're just going to keep going to our segregated schools and not try and organize any sort of movement to get our rights. It'll come to us in time, don't you worry."

Those things were never said, because they would be just as untrue about American Independence and African-American Civil Rights as they are about LGBT Equality. We cannot sit idly by hoping someone else will make our dreams come true for us in the future. If we want equality, we need to fight for it, and we need ALL our allies to join us. Don't be content with the potential of hope, realize it.

DO SOMETHING!

One Of The Many Reasons I'm Mad

One of the things that has me the most pissed off about these anti-marriage initiatives is that I haven't had time to take in all the great news that is coming from the Obama camp. This is a man I have happily supported and is most likely the only president I will see that is anywhere near as left-leaning as I am (although no where near my stance, he's the closest… sadly, my boy Kucinich doesn't have a chance in hell), and I've completely missed out on all of the things going on in his soon-to-be cabinet.

He's already launched change.gov, a crowd-sourced website that is designed to allow direct interaction with the administration and a easy-to-use and constituent friendly interface to learn about policies. Hell, you can even apply for a non-career position in his cabinet right on the website.

Then this morning come details of hundreds of immediate actions he plans on taking once he has assumed office, including over-turning many of the Bush administrations Executive Orders and even reinstating quite a few of the Clinton Administration's EO's.

And Barack and Michelle even had dinner at Spiaggia this weekend here in Chicago! I love Spiaggia! (for the record, I have no idea why this story was published by the Red Eye this morning. Apparently, all the change and actually policy talk doesn't ring well with the Red Eye's targeted 25-40 audience).

I've missed this, and I hardly have time to catch up on it. I've missed the first days of Barack's leadership because I'm too concerned about fighting for the rights that should never have been taken away from people. I'm not happy about it. I've said it before, I'm not happy about having to fight this fight. I don't believe anyone ever is. But when I hear things like this, I am reminded completely why I need to find a way to fight, why we all need to keep fighting.

Our loss in California has only emboldened these bigots. If we don't continue to fight, wherever we are, we will all lose our rights. Don't think that they are done enforcing their morality. After all, us gays are only one of the "social ills" this country faces. They have imposed their hatred on 30 states now, there's 20 more to go. And they aren't going to stop with anti-gay initiatives. Next will be abortion rights. Then education (goodbye evolution and science, hello Jesus and survivors of whale digestion). Then parent's rights. Oh, and that divorce option? Yeah, that'll be gone too.

We need to stop them. Now.

Spread It, Share It

Source

The Face And The Fight Back

This is the face of bigotry. Smiling, happy, praying Christians. They look so cute don't they? Standing there, dressed boringly, praying... It's like the picture of hatred. Considering this was snapped moments after the announcement went out that the anti-gay Proposition 8 had passed, and these people are thrilled to have literally stolen rights from others, it should be sobering.

And if anyone wonders why I rag on Christians so much, here you go. They are "proud" of their hatred. All we need now is confetti and cake, and it's a party!

As I said earlier, the fight isn't over yet. As reported on Towleroad and Joe.My.God., two lawsuits have already been filed, and I expect more to be filed within the coming days and weeks as the fall out from this mess starts to hit the ground. What becomes of the married couples who are now magically un-married? How will their lives be mystically rectified back to two separate entities? All these things, and more, will be revealed, if you stay tuned! My guess, that's what the majority of the lawsuits will revolve around.

I'm really not sure what these lawsuits can do, but I'm hoping that something will come of it.

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.