We DO need to stop pointing the finger and work towards education and unity, both with our opposition, but also within ourselves.

::ducks and runs from the spitballs that are flying through the air::

Brian almost hit the nail on the head. The bottom line need is to break the closet, an institution of the right wing churches that is every bit as diabolical as was segregation, or even more so. For it results in a large number of gay people being selfhaters, and being so afraid of being outed that they themselves become agents of (actually extreme) intolerance themselves.

And when more str8 people see that they know, love, work with, and socialize with gay people, the walls of intolerance will come tumbling down. It is kind of hard to hate people you know and respect.

I almost believe that the wrong battle has been fought, if you’ll read further and give me a pass since i gave $32000 No on 8. A part of the battle is not for marriage, but for acceptance of lgbt’rs as ordinary decent people. And once that happens, the churches will prattle their hatreds and ignorance, and with every utterance they will show their ignorance and backwardsness. And they will, similar to much of Europe where virtually every western european country recognizes gay couples legally, end up preaching to the dust in the pews, and the dust of their departed.

I would also point out that it is so important to insure, through GSA, etc etc that kids come out early if at all possible. So the next generation will have more re-inforcement of what most of them already know – that they have gay friends, that they respect these friends, and being gay is not an issue at all.

And mankind will be free. Of another of the abominations committed in the Name of God, but really committed in the name of continuing their lies, lest people ask questions, and the whole house of cards of these monstrosities collapses.

I was so appalled and upset by Prop 8, that I couldn’t take any joy in the factory farming issue passing. When the exit polling results came back, I can’t say that I was surprised, though. A lot of people I know in the Animal Welfare and Animal Rights communities are LGBT and I think that some of them, at least up to Prop 8, are/were my friends. Some have been avoiding me lately at the shelter and ya know what, that’s cool. I’d probably do the same thing. There’s a lot of hurt out there right now and Obama probably won’t do a thing to help. He got what he wanted; end of story.

I talked it over with the shelter director and her partner and so now I’m sliding in the side door, cleaning the cages, doing my “how to be a pet” dog socialization thing and kinda laying low for a while. It’s cool, kinda, because the dogs and cats still love me and it’s really all about them and not about me.

These are sad times and I think they’re just going to get worse. Weimar Republic worse.

Which brings me to some hard truths:

1. Not all African-Americans support dog-fighting and other forms of animal cruelty, but most do.

2. Not all African-Americans are mindlessly anti-gay, but most are.

3. Not all African-Americans are deeply anti-semitic, but the great majority are.

Numbers 2 and 3 are mostly church-driven [or church drivel, so to speak] and Number 1 is mostly because most young black men are just being led around by whatever hip-hop culture and athletes tell them.

Okay, I know you’re thinking “self-loathing social isolate” but when your community is predominantly Jew-hating, dog-fighting, gay-bashing crazy people, then, what’s not to loathe?

What with the economy, things are getting pretty tight in the no-kill shelter world. Donations are drying up and the volunteer base is shrinking as people lose the jobs and their free time. It sucks to be working in Animal Welfare right now. People are turning in pets that they can no longer feed or care for and adoptions are way down. Maybe PETA was right after all? Maybe I shouldn’t have dissed them so hard about their kill shelter activities.

The point of this ramble is that if the LGBT community stops contributing to Animal Welfare, it will hurt a lot. However, I will totally understand because you are all fighting for your lives right now and will be in the future.

I’m thinking myself that Sea Shepherd maybe doesn’t need my annual contribution as much as a local LGBT group needs it. I’ll mail it in; don’t need that whole confrontation thing right now. I just wish I could do more to help than just pray for you and contribute money.

I’m not laughing at the seriousness of Prop 8 and the other hate-filled legislation voted for on November 4th. I’m laughing at the dog chasing it’s tail that is the conversation on this site.

Screw that, the time for waiting for things to happen is how we lost on Prop 8.

So, like so many other gays out there, you can sit back while the rest of us go do YOUR part to.

This is our moment, this is our time. Gays are being vilified over this, and it needs to stop. It’s socially acceptable to be anti-gay, but it’s not socially acceptable to be racist.

We need to stop talking about homophobia in the African American community as if it’s important. It’s not. If some black gays don’t think gay marriage is important, then that’s their choice.

As a white gay woman, I have little to no power in reaching out to the African American community. It’s up to black gays to bridge that gap, and if they don’t want to, that’s their choice. No one can make them do anything.