So far to go
Yesterday was big. Adults crying out of pride, exhaustion, and hope. I, too, am happy about the selection of Obama as President. I think he is the symbol we need right now to restore hope to our country. He just "gets it". He values curiosity and appreciates technology. He understands that there is more to being a great nation than being the toughest bully on the playground.
We certainly have come a long way since the 1960's. The stories of so many African Americans who both lived through all the crap of those days and were able to see an African American be elected President are moving to me.
I wonder if we will see that much progress for gay people in my lifetime? I am saddened to see the passage of Prop 8 in California. Anti-gay marriage amendments passed in Florida and Arizona. A proposal banning adoptions for unmarried couples, aimed primarily at gays, passed in Arkansas. Sally Kern, known for her "homosexuality is a bigger threat than terrorism" comments earlier this year was re-elected to the Oklahoma State House.
All of this saddens me so much and erodes the happiness I feel about Obama's election. What is the path to equality?
I think it has to start with some kind of instigating event. We need some sort of equivalent of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus.
We also need a Martin Luther King-like figure. Someone who peacefully yet powerfully makes the case for equality.
We need to figure out a way to make our case known, more than just the annual parade. But how? How do we make being gay not seem wrong to the people who cite the Bible? How can gay people demonstrate and not get made fun of? How can we overcome the "eww" feeling that many people express when they think of two guys kissing eachother? How do we demonstrate that kids can thrive living with parents of the same gender? How can we make straight, "moral" couples feel less threatened if a same-sex couple is given the right to marry? I feel pulled strongly to joining with others and developing some answers to these questions.
I didn't cry for Obama, but I will bawl like a baby if we elect an openly gay President in my lifetime.
We certainly have come a long way since the 1960's. The stories of so many African Americans who both lived through all the crap of those days and were able to see an African American be elected President are moving to me.
I wonder if we will see that much progress for gay people in my lifetime? I am saddened to see the passage of Prop 8 in California. Anti-gay marriage amendments passed in Florida and Arizona. A proposal banning adoptions for unmarried couples, aimed primarily at gays, passed in Arkansas. Sally Kern, known for her "homosexuality is a bigger threat than terrorism" comments earlier this year was re-elected to the Oklahoma State House.
All of this saddens me so much and erodes the happiness I feel about Obama's election. What is the path to equality?
I think it has to start with some kind of instigating event. We need some sort of equivalent of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus.
We also need a Martin Luther King-like figure. Someone who peacefully yet powerfully makes the case for equality.
We need to figure out a way to make our case known, more than just the annual parade. But how? How do we make being gay not seem wrong to the people who cite the Bible? How can gay people demonstrate and not get made fun of? How can we overcome the "eww" feeling that many people express when they think of two guys kissing eachother? How do we demonstrate that kids can thrive living with parents of the same gender? How can we make straight, "moral" couples feel less threatened if a same-sex couple is given the right to marry? I feel pulled strongly to joining with others and developing some answers to these questions.
I didn't cry for Obama, but I will bawl like a baby if we elect an openly gay President in my lifetime.
posted by Amanda Shankle-Knowlton | 6:36 PM
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