So yes, I did get to vote yesterday. I got up at 5:30, headed over to my polling place, and got in line behind the elderly black woman who arrived before me. Five minutes later, I managed to convince them to look up "Brad" instead of "Brod" and I drew my hopeful little arrows.
I'm thrilled, relieved, grateful that Obama won. For real, that's by far the happiest I've ever been for an election outcome. I didn't go to Grant Park, which I feel both okay and sad about: okay because big crowds freak me out and I fear I wouldn't have been able to get the good parts from it, but sad because I missed something so historic and probably moving. And who knows, maybe if I'd been there I would have felt the joy of victory more strongly.
Because still: California, Arizona, Florida, and Arkansas. That's where I count my losses, as a queer person and as a citizen. Arizona and Florida are saddening but no huge shock, I suppose. Us queers are used to being told we are sub-par, not worthy of the status of loving caring human beings who can give each other health insurance, and as sad as that is it's not a surprise to me. But California? Marriage being repealed after being awarded. And Arkansas makes me more directly angry and sad than anything has in a while. Arkansas passed legislation that made it so unmarried couples can't adopt or raise foster children. This measure was specifically geared towards same-sex couples, but in truth it hurts not only them (and, of course, unmarried straight couples) but also children. Who could vote for something that prevents children from having homes just because they hate queers so much? It makes my heart hurt. I could never do such a thing.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I totally hear you. Prop 8 feels especially painful for me, but all of those anti-queer measures passing (individually and collectively) sucks a lot. Arizona, too -- not surprising, but disappointing after they beat the last marriage ban.
Glad you were able to cast your vote, though! But you'd better not tell the Republicans about the mix-up with the name, or they'll probably sue you for voter fraud...
There's a lot of sadness and disbelief around my lab this week because of California's new ban on gay marriage. I'm sad about it too because I think it's ridiculous.
During the vice-presidential debate, I was unhappy when Joe Biden said he didn't support gay marriage. It seems like a goofy semantic game to support civil unions but not gay marriage.
We still have a long way to go on the road toward equality.
Post a Comment