I should be happy right now. After all, America just took a big step in the direction of realizing its promise. Instead, I am sad. A dark cloud was put over this day by the voters of California, who passes an Indecent Proposition 8, which excluded same sex couples from civil marriage.Yes, it's upside down on purpose. Look up the symbolism. (a pic of the California state flag upside down)I admit, I've argued many times that marriage should not be our biggest priority, when in most states - like the ones where I went to college and graduate school - I could be expelled from college, fired from my job, evicted from my home, and/or have the doors of stores and restaurants slammed in my face, simply because I was seen or thought to be coincidentally be in a relationship with someone of the same sex, as opposed to the opposite one. I've also pointed out that when nondiscriminatory marriages are judicially mandated, they often rest on very shaky political supports. Despite this, I also think that where we have the right to marry the person of our choice, we should fight for it. And given that it's civil marriage, I believe this is a matter of civil rights. When I think of these bigoted laws and amendments, I - as a black man - think not of the Civil Rights Movement, but of my slave forebears, whose relationships were seen as being illegitimate, and not worthy of respect by the rest of society. (After Emancipation, it should be noted, one of the first things many newly freepersons did was to pursue legal marriages.)It was terribly disappointing, then, when the majority of the California electorate decided to vote their ignorance, their fears, and their often polite prejudice. Speaking of that veiled bigotry, how can those of you who think that same sex marriage should be illegal be honestly think that you're not being prejudiced, or that you're not really anti-queer? What fictions and lies must you tell yourselves? Please be very clear: what you - and the people from other places who helped fund your efforts - said was that queers are creatures of a lesser order; that our relationships are sinister and destructive; and that public recognition and legal affirmation of our same sex relationships would somehow harm children. (Maybe you're afraid that we'll convert some of your kids to "faggotry." Is that it?) And apparently none of you saw the irony in that it's not as if YOUR marriage was going to end if Prop 8 failed. Or maybe you thought that if same sex marriages were legally affirmed, Ellen would, on her show, whip out a dildo and pleasure herself; or maybe that a couple of butch guys would knock on your door, proceed to enter your home, and, Rick James-style, fuck your couch.Let me also say to those of you who supported Crock 8, excuse me, Prop 8: I hope you're happy. No, I'm serious. Not at ease, relieved, or - Jesus - content. I want you to be so motherfucking happy that you have a demented, Joker-sized smile plastered on the lower part of your face. Because your decision yesterday has brought great sadness to many millions, both us and our allies, who believe that we should support, as opposed to scorn, those who seek a stable and mutually affirming relationship without regard to gender.Despite this setback, that's all it is - a temporary obstruction. This Proposition will be undone somehow in due course, as will the rest of these vicious laws. Will we undo your condescending, discriminatory actions, and with our allies, move forward with our lives. We will do this because we will not continue to live in shame, or to live your lies. I continue to believe, at the risk of straying into Marxism, that the weight of history is on our side, not yours.But as for yesterday, if nothing else can be said, it shows us where we stand in the eyes of this nation: the most populous state in the country, supposedly a liberal bastion, wrote discrimination into their constitution; the leading presidential candidate gives at best lukewarm support of our rights and dignity; the opposing candidate is openly hostile or dismissive; organizations that seemed nice, like the Knights of Columbus, and many a preacher and rabbi are not to be trusted; and that people all around America will fund institutionalized hatred. I must say, I'm now sympathetic to corporations like Apple and others, who opposed the referendum. And if not before, I now have a special hatred towards groups like Focus on the Family and all those other right-wing organizations devoted to making our lives miserable. I hope from deep down inside that they, and the movement they're a part of, are crushed; their organizations bankrupted; their hateful and false ideology, their leaders and blind followers defeated.One more thing: those of you in California, and, for that matter, in Florida, Arizona, and other places where you've taken the opportunity to vote against same sex marriage (or those of you who've done political work for such, or gave money to an effort, or had a sign or bumper sticker):Please, please , the next time you run into one of your LGBT friends, family members, coworkers, fellow members of religious institutions, and so forth: let them know how you really feel; tell them you think that their relationships are at best unnerving, but more likely a disgusting abomination; tell them that you think that they, in their queer identity, are wrong . Be real with them. Because as unpleasant as that would be, it's at least better than you shaking our hand while pissing on our feet.
By Another Mr. Smith.....
No comments:
Post a Comment