Dancing with Myself

Obama and "Teh Gays"

Apparently the Gay community in this country is going bat-shit crazy because Rick Warren, the right-wing homophobic evangelical ego-maniacal con-artist has been invited to speak at the inauguration.  Oh, but wait, Mr. Bridges, Warren hasn't been invited to speak, he's been invited to pray.  Does that mean he's going to make like a good Christian and go pray in his closet out of our sight and sound?  After all, isn't that how Jesus said it should be done?  Or is Warren a self-professed  hypocrite, the kind Christ warned us about?  Damn, that's a tough one.

Okay, I for one am not getting hysterical and screaming about how victimized I am by this deliberate slap in my face by the newly-elected Obama even before he becomes President.  Still, small ouch.  Rick Warren is a lying, conniving con-artist.  He now wants to go mainstream.  I'm disappointed that Obama has given him cover, even such a tiny amount.  That does not make me hysterical.  Prior to blogging about it, I have joined in several conversations on other blogs.  I believe we have not only the right to speak out and call that smarmy son-of-a-bitch an ignorant liar, we have an obligation to do so, lest reasonable people be taken in by his shit.  Okay, I concede my last sentence sounded a bit angry, but it's not.  It just sounds that way.  Just like Warren's comparison of same-sex marriage to child exploitation and bestiality only sounded like he was comparing same-sex marriage to bestiality and young girls being forced to marry old men.

I can't help but think it's a deliberate act to signal the very angry Gay community that Obama does not share our feelings on a lot of subjects.  He lost nothing in the passage of Prop. 8.  Remember, he stated very unequivocally at Warren's church that marriage was between a man and a woman, which subsequently was used in a campaign by the Yes on 8 people, as everyone in the entire fucking world who heard him say it knew it would!  He very quietly said, or at least his campaign said -- I never heard him say it -- that he was opposed to Prop. 8.  I'm sure he did, I just never heard him say it.

Obama is not an enemy of Gays and Lesbians, but I'm not all that sure he's a friend just because he's not an enemy.  We prioritize differently and we have different agendas.  I believe that we Gays will benefit exponentially from the Obama presidency.  If he is able to reverse the ebbing tide of our nation's financial woes, our boats will be lifted as quickly as will the boats of others.  If he is able to turn the government into an effective tool to counter global warming, Gay interests are just as strongly served.  If he can deliver on universal health care, Gay interests will be extremely well served.

Now, back to the Gay Agenda.  Listen up, Mr. Obama, you do owe the Gay community something a little more tangible than veto-rights to the preachers at your Inauguration.  You owe us a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.  That's nothing but mean-spirited bigotry.  You owe us leadership on the Same-Sex Marriage issue, even if you're not very comfortable with the subject.  The Christianists are not being honest when they same they're fighting for the sanctity of marriage.  You should ask them to join you in a national campaign to get the states to provide civil partnerships for same-sex couples.  For the sake of fairness, ask them to help you make it fair for same-sex couples.

Yeah, like that's going to happen.  Anyone else besides me notice that the same ones who are so vehemently opposed to same-sex marriage are the same ones waging the war against abortion?  If they were just anti-abortion you'd think they'd want to eliminate the need of unwanted pregnancies by advocating birth control, but you'd be wrong.  You'd also think they'd be pushing universal health care for pregnant women and children to reassure young pregnant women that they won't have to worry about taking care of their children, but again, you'd also be wrong. 

I'm just pointing out that the people who are so hysterical about same-sex marriage happen to be the same people who are so militantly anti-abortion, anti-birth control, anti-universal health care, etc.  And by the way, Rick Warren is firmly in that anti-camp.  He's anti everything except seconds when he's feasting on either food or publicity.  And here I thought gluttony was one of the seven deadly sins.

No Matter Where You Go, There You Are

The week following the passage of Proposition 8, I was very pissed off.  I made it so personal that you would have thought that the idiots of the world came together just to annoy me.  I reacted accordingly.  How dare they do that to me! 

In one respect, I am exactly like the proponents of Prop. 8.  I am absolutely convinced of the righteousness of my cause and anyone who disagrees with that righteousness is obviously (this is a multiple choice) (1) stupid, (2) an idiot (not quite the same as stupid), (3) evil, (4) amoral.  Like the proponents of Prop. 8, everyone I know agrees with me.  Just like the proponents of Prop. 8, my community which holds this opinion, is very domineering and aggressive, making dissidents shy of expressing disagreement. 

A month ago, across these United States, thousands of people gathered to show support for same-sex marriage.  In San Francisco, there was a lot of healing energy.  There were speakers from each of the communities that voted overwhelmingly FOR Proposition 8.  I found the demonstration to be healing and uplifting.  It gave me back hope.  Hope for the future.  I left the demonstration thinking that the first order of business for me would be to send a thank you card to the six million Californians who voted against Proposition 8.  Thank you.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you. 

In the past month, I learned that while many African-Americans voted for Proposition 8, not all of them did.  Many Hispanics voted for Proposition 8, but not all of them.   Most Mormons voted for Proposition 8, but not all of them.  Not all evangelical Christians voted for Proposition 8.  I know because I work with individuals from each of the above groups.   Ten years ago, these same people whom I know and with whom I work, probably would have voted for Proposition 8 without even thinking about it.  We don't have to go back that far, it was only 8 years ago that a 61% majority passed Proposition 22 which limited the state from recognizing same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.  2,909,370 Californians opposed that measure.  Proposition 8, born of the same bigotry of Proposition 22, was opposed this time by 6,073,862 Californians.  That is twice the number that supported us 8 years ago.

In the ensuing eight years, we have expanded the rights and obligations of domestic partners wth the intent of making them equal to those of married partners.  This past summer the California Supreme Court acknowledged the responsibility of the government to provide the same recognition to same-sex couples as it does to opposite-sex couples.  On November 3, a small majority of those Californians who voted that day, said whatever the state provided, it couldn't be called marriage.

Okay, I can live with that for the time being.  If it were up to me, I'd put the whole issue to rest for about ten years.  Time will take care of the problem.  Unfortunately, it isn't up to me.  Nor is it up to the millions of Gays and Lesbians around the world.  We are being attacked by religious bigots here in this country and around the world.  Literally and figuratively attacked.  We are murdered, assaulted, discriminated against, imprisoned, ...  I could go on, but I think my point is made.

I'm not in charge of the Gay Agenda.  In fact, no one is in charge.  I wish someone were.  Then if we agreed to it, we could cheer her/him on, and if we didn't agree with it, we could vote them out.  Unfortunately, we have no annointed leader, just a lot of unannointed ones who raise and spend money in our name.  Sometimes these unannointed ones do good, sometimes they miss.  In opposing Proposition 8, they missed. 

Same-sex marriage was not defeated on November 3, just set back.  We're going to win eventually.  I'm no longer angry at the people who voted to deprive those in my community of this fundamental right.  I will continue to ask them earnesly how two people who love each other and want to commit to each other injures or threatens the institution of marriage.  If the only reason they can come up with is because their religion teaches them this, then I will continue to ask them why they do not respect my religion which teaches differently.  I promise to ask in a normal voice and promise (most of the time) not to yell at them and tell them how stupid I think they are.

Now, let's move on and have a nice holiday.