Subscribe to Breaking NewsRuby-Sachs: How am I supposed to celebrate?
, 365gay blogger 11.05.2008 1:55am EST
Against all odds it looks like the state I just spent four days sweating for will go Obama. And now that I am out of the crowds outside I find it hard to celebrate at all. Yes, Obama won, but I, and many of my friends, lost. We may have a Black man as president, but this is obviously not a country that embraces equality.
I gave up and moved to Canada with my foreign partner. Now with states challenging gay parents adoption rights, I don’t ever want my children to be taken away, or be told that my ‘lifestyle’ is bad.
Take victories when you can get them…They don’t come that often.
Huh? What kind of equality were you looking for?
Be patient. Same sex marriage will eventually be a reality. But freedom and equality take time. Look how long it took for an African American to become president in America.
How are you supposed to celebrate?
Easy. All you have to do is bite your lip and forget for a second that Obama could have made a showing for equality and fairness but didn’t.
Then you can celebrate all you want. We have our first Black President, we have our first multiracial President. The idiots who thought he was a Muslim have been shut up and he will be arriving on Pennsylvania Avenue in January.
I found it interesting that in his victory speech he mentioned us, particularly when he may have at least something to do with why we’ve suffered major setbacks in California, Florida, Arkansas and Arizona. His remarks about marriage and his refusal to make any serious attempt to oppose any of the initiatives do not make him solely responsible, but I’m concerned that he may be partly to blame.
Rick Said: “Same sex marriage will eventually be a reality. But freedom and equality take time.”
Equality means NOTHING to me if it occurs after my death. For those even older than I, please tell them just how much longer they will have to wait to see their freedom and equality awarded. I think 50 years (approx) is far too long a wait as it is.
I live in Florida, no sunshine here for the LG community. blame won’t work,however, the LGBT community could have been “out” and it wasn’t.15% of the population here in Florida,that we know, is Gay. where were they? Where were the elected officials who speak from any side of their mouths that will get them elected, were silent and so was the president-elect Obama, too silent.
In my bigoted state of Az.? Are you serious?
The young, white gay females out here use fear to ‘avoid’ dating outside of their race. We don’t even hang out together over here. We are so divided here; even in the larger city of Phx. How can this group stand against the masses and say we want equality in anything? This state doesn’t have a clue what that is.
Better Obama then McCain. Remember that, we won. I think as Americans, we have so much more to worry about and I just don’t think that we should be so caught up on same-sex marriage. At least not right now. I think that we have to take a step back and wait for equality. It took African Americans 100’s of years to even be seen as an equally. We need to be patient. It may not happen in my life time or even yours, but it will happen.
Wait for equality????
Be patient??????
Maybe in 100 years????
F— That.
I’m tired of being F—- over.
Thank you for saying what I felt I was alone in thinking. I don’t feel like I’m part of Obama’s America. I’m a lesbian and he mentions me in his speech, but helped eliminate my rights in CA. (Giving a microphone to Kmiec helped pass Prop.
I also happen to be an atheist, something the Democrats seem to be distancing themselves from under Obama’s leadership. How am I supposed to be happy when I’m told to be patient and wait for my rights. When everyone’s talking about how amazing it is to see someone who looks like them win the White House. I don’t know what that’s like, either.
I agree with Rebecca, in the US, gays and atheists are completely marginalized by politicians because of their fear of upsetting and losing the vote from the religious, center-right majority. A poll found that gays were the second to last and atheists were the last on a list of people Americans would vote for for president who were otherwise qualified for the job. (source: http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/black_president_more_likely_than_mormon_or_atheist_/)
With the general population of america holding these views, it is no surprise that a tiny group like Jews, who only make up 1.5% of americans, get pandered to by politicians all the time, while gays (about 6% of the vote) and atheists/agnostics (about 8% of the vote) get completely ignored. We need to take a more radical approach to our fight for equality; we should not have to sit idly by and wait for the “masters” of the US government to decide when to give us our rights. We were born with our rights; we need to stand up and fight for them. We can’t rely on the establishment to come around. We need to fight.
Give me liberty, or give me death
Correct me if I’m wrong Ruby-Sachs, but weren’t you the blogger who accused ABC News of an “attack minority voters” because they posted an article about how ingrained homophobia in the African American community could and probably would lead to votes against gay marriage equality, and that this community was being mobilized to vote in droves by the Obama campaign. You also said that you were “..hesitant to write off minorities as enemies of the LGBT people”, and while I wouldn’t consider them “enemies”, with polling data showing that nearly 75% of African American women and over 50% of Latino Men voted Yes on Prop 8 – they sure aren’t friends to the LGBT community. Maybe more time being critical of Obama’s relative silence on the issue, as well as more coverage of Obama’s segregationist views about gay marriage, would have been a better investment of time and energy.
What i find ironic about you’re statement that it took 100’s of years for african americans to be seen as equal implies that GLBT were non-existant in those years. That our “rights” or our long road to equality has been less than that: when in fact homosexuals have been persecuted for 1000’s of years. So gay people should just be patient because being patient really works to get the right to equality? If that was true then this country would not have Obama as our president-elect, because all of those rights granted to african-americans when the majority didn’t want it would not be in place unless some “impatient” people fought long and hard for equality.
I could not be happier that Obama won. However, the LGBT community took a huge hit and loss. From day one I have said that Obama needed to show more support for our community. He didn’t. He went on a “Family Tour” of the south with people like Mary Mary and other african-american leaders. He shared the stage with people that minutes earlier had grouped gays and lesbians with pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers and murderers.
Now three more states are banning gay rights/marriages and California will make four. Shame on the Black and Latino communities for voting against equal rights for gays.
These are two groups that have fought for equal rights, equal pay, equal everything, but not for all. Only for those who are straight.
Shame on the people that voted for Obama and then voted to pass Prop 8 and other anti-gay laws.
This country has a long way to go.
I am a woman, a lesbian, a latino, a Navy Vet and a proud mom. Only one of those keeps me from having equal rights.
Only One!