To all of you who are as disappointed, upset and bewildered as I am, here’s the good news:
Countless protests have broken out all over the city, including at the Mormon Church in Westwood and all around West Hollywood:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-protest7-2008nov07,0,3827549.story
Lawsuits are being filed, the equal protection act is being cited:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gaylegal6-2008nov06,0,220763.story
Petitions and facebook groups are being formed:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=32226144639&ref=mf
Rants are being written:
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=32226144639&topic=6125
Believe me when I say that this is not over. It never will be, because defeat is impossible.
Today, I am proud to be an American. Today, I am proud to be a Californian. California is a wonderful state–we are helping to lead the way in green technology, we now have awesome new plans for a coastal bullet train, we have one of the largest economies in the world and we have one of the most diverse populations in all of America–ethnically, religiously, and economically. I will always be proud to hail from California’s sandy beaches and prone-to-wildfire valleys. And I am proud to share a state with the people of San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Napa, Alpine, San Mateo, Santa Cruz and countless other counties who opposed the proposition to ban gay marriage. As for sunny LA, well…it may be beautiful here right now, but we have now a city full of ashamed, distraught people.
How is the idea that homosexual and heterosexual marriages are one and the same so appalling to people? I don’t understand this. We claim to be a nation of equality, of opportunity and progress (and with the general election, that has never seemed more true than now) and yet we treat members of our communities as different, abnormal, even threatening? If you, or anyone you know, are among those who celebrate the ‘protection of marriage’ today, I hope you understand one thing: what happened in this city, this state, and the states of Florida and Arizona, was not your victory. It was your loss. You voted for an amendment to our constitution that took away the rights of our citizens—you voted for intolerance, selfishness and injustice. We missed our chance to prove to the world and to our neighbors that the idea of civil rights is still alive and well in this world–that fear of what is different from us does not rule us.
That’s where this Prop 8 comes from. You can talk all you want about the history of marriage, you can quote your scriptures, but when it comes down to it, the Yes on Prop 8 comes from a place inside people that are truly afraid of those who are not exactly like them. And these ‘different’ people asked for your support in their endeavor to be treated with the same compassion, respect and dignity as you would treat anyone else. We failed them today, and in doing so, failed ourselves. We are not a completely tolerant society. We are not a society of absolute morality and complete equality. We make mistakes, and this was one of them—a huge, blundering error. Because now, we have set a dangerous precedent. Is this a country where people’s rights can simply be taken away because a majority decides they shouldn’t have those rights? Prop 8 passing means yes, that’s what type of country this is. And this day will forever be a black mark on the history of our state and our country—it is the first time we as Americans have voted to eliminate the pre-existing rights of a group of people, and that goes against everything we as Americans stand for—whether you are Democrat or Republican, Christian, Jewish, Muslim or non-denominational, gay or straight, we all live in this country because it is a country of opportunity, of equality and progress. The passing of Prop 8 is a complete disregard of those values.
I have no doubt in my mind that the day will come when gays are seen as they are–no different from us, no less good, no less loving and productive members of society. The day will come when those that believe in equality of homosexuals and heterosexuals are the majority. The day will come when we look back and see the mistake we made today, and all that we are about to do to fix it. It is time to fight for the rights of our brothers, sisters, neighbors and friends whose voices have been stifled by a militant majority who seek to oppress their fellow people. And I know we will fight, and I know the American spirit of equality will prevail, just as it has from our beginnings. From the very start of our country, to the civil war, women’s suffrage and the civil rights movement, we have fought for equality. Each time, we have prevailed, and discrimination has fallen behind. Eventually it will dissipate, too tired, too old an idea to keep up with the progress of America. This day will come.
amen, sistah!