Comments on: Report from California: Why we shouldn’t despair over Prop 8

By: Steve from Daytona Beach

Steve from Daytona Beach — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:53:19 +0000

I call for a nationwide War against straight weddings if there are people out their who understand that until you hurt them they will make laws against our community. Burn the churches and Kill brides and grooms at their weddings. We have been beaten and killed and now we will fight back This is a call to arms.

By: Skipper

Skipper — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:20:20 +0000

Zuryanette,,,, YOU HIT IT ON THE NAIL!

My panamanian american best friend’s mom used to call us “Flores” Flowers, and basically say I know you are “pato” “you and your white friend… Two things with this statement, She obviously was a Racist herself and she was WELL AWARE her SON was GAY! She as most latinos and blacks like you said, somehow think its only White people that are gay.

I would tell my friend if your mom calls you a Flower (Flowers) or Fag (Pato) THEN SHE KNOWS, Why dont you confirm, tell her, get it out and GET IT OVER WITH! He finally did like 10 years later. And Of course she wasn’t jumping up and down for joy, BUT she still loves him…

My point is that there is LOTS of RACISM in other communities, Don’t know how it ever got to be supposedly just “whites” that are racsits, but we all KNOW the truth (sad, but true) and WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE PLENTY GAYS AND LESBIANS OF ALL RACE AND CULTURES! We need to be united as an LBGT Community, BUT We also need to take responsibilty for Educating our people of whatever background you come from. I know lots of Asians, in the same circumstance…. As a White Gay Male I am tired of my friends of different backgrounds being SCARY CHICKEN SHITS and hiding under my coat tails! Sorry But NO MORE! Can’t have your cake and eat it too….

By: Jason Brown

Jason Brown — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 07:49:03 +0000

In my opinion there is two reasons why prop 8 passed. The first reason is because of Barack Obama’s race I suspect a high number of african americans for the first time in there life actually enrolled to vote or decided to vote at this election simply to support Barack Obama. The second reason is during the run up to the election it was becoming known that John Mccain was falling behind in the polls and a high number of consertives or people who are racist were worried that Mr Obama might win the election so on election day a higher number of consertives than normal showed up on election day to vote for John Mccain and in the process voted against gay marriage as did a number of african americans. The lesson here is that gays and lesbians in Califorina or anywhere in the USA need more support from african americans.

By: Paul56

Paul56 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 07:28:10 +0000

Unfortunately, most Gay men are very passive men by nature. They make great assistants and other kinds of palace servants. The more assimilated they are, the more passive & fearful they become.
They got theirs: they won’t risk their cushy place in the eunuchs’ quarters for anyone else… disgusting…
Only those who honestly CAN’T fit in & hide (drag queens, ect) are willing to turn around & fight back.
We really need to turn the leadership of the Gay community over to the Lesbians. The guys can’t cut it.
It’s no accident that it was 2 women who first married publicly in LA. The Lesbians are the only ones w/ any balls in the Gay community. Personally I loathe irony, but even I get the joke when a woman talk show host is the only Gay entertainment figure to directly address the issue of Prop 8.

By: Joey

Joey — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:39:27 +0000

i’m glad to hear such optimism after this loss. i am also touched straight friends and family that supported our cause and am even more touched by those that just met me. what i am angry about the most is those that are in our own community that chose to be lazy and not vote. those that complained about inequality and yet did nothing. i was so touched to hear heterosexuals fight for our cause and yet so angry at those within our community that sat around and allowed others to struggle for their rights. you are right to say that this is not hate but pure ignorance. it is so easy to hate those that are ignorant and also very difficult to remember that those that are ignorant lack understanding.

By: Zuryanette Reyes Borrero

Zuryanette Reyes Borrero — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:56:05 +0000

Hey Matthew,

First of all, thanks for sharing your opinion with us．I am latina (Puerto Rican) and as such I feel ashamed and angry at my people for having helped hand the victory to the religious nuts. However, I don’t think there is really a war between race an sexuality- I’m latina and I’m a lesbian; and like me, dozens. Hundreds. Thousands. Millions. The problem I see is that there aren’t many educational initiatives aren’t tailored to these particular groups- unfortunately, race is still a touchy subject in America, and unless we get more colored Queers to do their part and show their people that this is not some invention of White people- that this is something deeply entrenched in humanity, despite the individual’s race, ethnicity, religion, social or political ideas, etc. That’s my two cents, anyways. Thanks for reading.

By: Jay

Jay — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:48:24 +0000

Mike C, I agree with your comments and sentiments that you written to Ali Davis. This was a catastrophe and the religious right with their love for all willing with intent discriminate against a group of people that is clearly in opposition to the CA & US Constitutions. Prop. 8 should have been placed on the ballot — it was procedural invalid and now the CA Supreme Court must rule on this issue. This Prop. 8 has clearly singled out the gay and lesiban community to deny rights. The CA explicitly states (and I am paraphrasing here) that, “no majority should have rights that a minority does not.” I swear I totally believe that Jesus, the Buddha, Allah, and Mohammad saying, “but that’s not what I meant.” This is about equality and love.

By: richard edmonson

richard edmonson — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:30:54 +0000

I was never a racist until now. I regret Obama’s victory. He will do nothing for us. At least with the Republicans you know that they hate you and say so in their platform. The Democrats are liars. The sponsors of the TV stations who broadcast those misleading a
ds should all be boycotted. There is no hope for America. It is an evil, evil place.

By: Matthew Wysocki

Matthew Wysocki — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:54:32 +0000

There is absolutely no way to translate any of this into a call for positive thinking. Gays and Lesbians have been asleep at the wheel while we supported the first African American candidate who is OPENLY against gay marriage. Of course it’s better than a McCain, but we supported a man of color who still believes unapologetically in “different but equal” (the fallacy of civil unions). That African American women and latinos were the root cause of Gay Marriage’s downfall in California is chilling. Latino culture, ever increasing in its power and prevalence in America, is one of the most sexist, patriarchal, and homophobic in the Western Hemisphere, and this new batttle cry against Gays and Lesbians is scary news. That Black women, by far the largest current subset of people suffering from HIV and Aids, could vote against Gay men’s rights when they benefit from the HIV/Aids drugs for which hundreds of thousands of Gay men were martyrs and medical guinea pigs is disgusting. We now have a race versus sexuality war on in the USA and it’s high time we all face the reality.

By: Dennis Wade

Dennis Wade — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:41:40 +0000

I under stand the disappointment of Prop 8 but there have been some great things happening in New England. I wish more attention would be paid to the gains we’ve made as gay people. Living in CT Im proud to say we now have gay marriage (I havent heard it reported on 365gaynews). New England is the most gay friendly area in the U.S.
I know the population in CA is great however CA is not the begining or the end of gay life. Proudly VT was the first state to have civil unions proudly MA was the first gay marriage proudly CT had civil unions and now gay marriage proudly NH has civil unions. I just needed to express my feelings only because all the attention is poured on CA. Give some credit to us proudly gay men and women in New England…