Election day this year was one of the most exciting days I can remember in recent history. It was the first time in memory that I was truly excited to have voted and came away with some faith in those elected. I am not naive enough to believe they can accomplish everything they want (perhaps I am just too jaded).
After the tears of joy and excitement of a new start, the realization came that hate had one more time made gains in the country with the passage of Proposition 8 in California. In review it was clear that the victory was motivated by nothing more than hate and fear-mongering. Even the Republican governor of the state campaigned against it, yet mis-information prevailed.
Now it seems that the battle is not over. The temporary victory has done more to draw attention to the fact that the battle over gay marriage has boiled down to prejudice and lies brought against fundamental rights of equality. There is no other way to label the campaign any longer and more people are seeing it for what it is.
A week and a half after the election, unprecedented rallies took place across the nation - not only of the GLBT community, but of friends and allies ready to stand with us and procaim that we can no longer tolerate a society governed by hate. Among those to join the rally in San Jose was the son of one of my cousins along with many of his friends. Those straight young people chose on their own to participate because they do not buy the fear and lies.
Seeing his picture at the rally buoyed my spirits as much as Obama's victory. Hope is still alive.
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