Over the weekend I was thinking about some of the events which have transpired over the last couple of months. The elections, Obama, Prop 8, the loss of Prop 8 and the aftermath that followed... and it struck upon me that having lost the right to marry may have actually been, dare I say, a good thing?
Think about it: What happened when California was granted the right for same-sex couples to marry? We celebrated for a day or a few days, but then the celebration died and we shrugged on with our every day. The same thing happened with Connecticut, even in the heart of Prop 8 Protests - we said "yay!" for the day and shrugged on.
Much of the dust has settled from the after prop 8 blame game yet I still feel that we as a community haven't celebrated the fact that we only lost to "Yes on 8" by a 4% margin. The anger that followed is totally appropriate but it should be noted that, in the loss of this small 4%, we've gained a tremendous movement! We've gained protests and anger and rallies and marches and community meetings with people working together, collaborating and fighting! A whole army of gays, both young and old, male and female, restored, alerted, recharged and woken up - all chomping at the bit to become involved.
In the end, this 4% loss may have been our biggest win yet.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Props for Prop 8
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2 comments:
i agree, this loss brings about such renewed activism that it may just be the best thing that has ever happened.
Thank you, for pointing out that prop8 lost by only 4%. We are actually getting closer, and we have finally have woken up. My wish is that we, as a movement, build alliances with other minorities. Some of us queers have that minority perspective, but sadly, most do not. I am glad to see public non-gay support for gay marriage.
Additionally, there are two things that threaten democracy: unrestricted capitalism, and religious fundamentalism.
Eric, it is younger queers like you that give me great hope for the future. I feel the benefits every day of my activism, being out in my rural mountain neighborhood, and being out at work (out before I was hired). Similarly, you will feel the benefits of your activism with the passage of time.
mr pinky
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