2008 Woodie Awards
The Mixed Bag: Not settling for second class
Samantha Korb
Issue date: 11/18/08 Section: Opinions
On the night of Tuesday, November 4th, 2008, LGBT Americans and their supporters had a bittersweet feeling. For the first time in eight years, there would be an ally in the White House by the name of Barack Obama. But for the first time in 4 years, there were sweeping anti-gay bans which passed in California, Arkansas, Arizona and Florida. While the latter three states passage of their propositions was not surprising, Proposition 8's passage in California was.
Same sex marriages had been performed since this summer in California and same sex couples from the young to the old, to the rich and famous (like Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi) to the common man or woman were walking down the aisle to have their relationships and love recognized. On election night, it was decided that the many other couples, like my friend's cousin and his boyfriend who planned to get married this summer, will not get that chance.
Now, I can hear what some of you might be saying: "Well, the voters made this happen, you have to respect their wishes!" I understand that, I do. I also understand, that in this country, people's rights have never been handed to them, they have always been fought for. That is why I am making a plea to the LGBT community and their allies to pay attention. We may have not been paying attention before, but we surely are now.
Over this past weekend, nationwide protests against Proposition 8 and legislation like Prop 8 showed that the LGBT community and their allies were not taking this lightly. However, our voice does not stop with our vote, nor does it stop with these protests. If we are truly going to make a difference, we have to hold our elected officials accountable, protest, write letters to the editor, talk to your friends and neighbors, educate others, but also, most importantly, band together as a community.
Too often, I have seen the LGBT community splinter off because of divisions, drama, and complacency. Yes, the fight is difficult. The road will be long and hard to tread through. We might not see the immediate results of our activism and our work, but future generations will. There are too many issues that are at stake, for our lives and our future.
Same sex marriages had been performed since this summer in California and same sex couples from the young to the old, to the rich and famous (like Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi) to the common man or woman were walking down the aisle to have their relationships and love recognized. On election night, it was decided that the many other couples, like my friend's cousin and his boyfriend who planned to get married this summer, will not get that chance.
Now, I can hear what some of you might be saying: "Well, the voters made this happen, you have to respect their wishes!" I understand that, I do. I also understand, that in this country, people's rights have never been handed to them, they have always been fought for. That is why I am making a plea to the LGBT community and their allies to pay attention. We may have not been paying attention before, but we surely are now.
Over this past weekend, nationwide protests against Proposition 8 and legislation like Prop 8 showed that the LGBT community and their allies were not taking this lightly. However, our voice does not stop with our vote, nor does it stop with these protests. If we are truly going to make a difference, we have to hold our elected officials accountable, protest, write letters to the editor, talk to your friends and neighbors, educate others, but also, most importantly, band together as a community.
Too often, I have seen the LGBT community splinter off because of divisions, drama, and complacency. Yes, the fight is difficult. The road will be long and hard to tread through. We might not see the immediate results of our activism and our work, but future generations will. There are too many issues that are at stake, for our lives and our future.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Robert Boutwell
posted 11/21/08 @ 8:47 AM EST
Samantha,
Thank you so very much. You said everything that needed to be said on this topic. The government should not be in the business of determining what constitutes true love, and based upon that determination, who can and cannot get "married. (Continued…)
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