Bittersweet

Tuesday was a wonderful day for Americans.

Our first black president was elected. It was a(n)historic day. Hopefully, Obama will inspire millions to be all they can be, live up to his promises, and incite real change in our country when we desperately need it. I'm pulling for him.

But.

Tuesday was also a terrible day for Americans.

In California, Proposition 8 passed.

For those that don't know, prop 8, once again, made it impossible for gay and lesbian couples to be joined in holy matrimony.

For little more than four months, couples were able to fulfill their dreams and be joined as one. And now, it's been shattered.

Not only is it forbidding couples from getting married, it nullifies the EIGHTEEN THOUSAND marriages that have taken place in the short time it was legal.

18,000 couples.

36,000 people.

Think about that.

36,000 people had a life's dream fulfilled. Only to see it taken away.

I never thought I would be upset as I am about this. I have literally had to wipe tears from my eyes a number of times today. I didn't even think too much about it before last night.

"Oh, there's no way that will pass. Especially not in California."

Florida and Arizona, where a similar proposition also ran and failed (they were to make gay marriage legal), yeah I could have seen that coming.

But not in California...

I can't even say why I'm so upset. As a friend pointed out, "You're not gay. Or married. Or gay married."

I have a lot of gay friends, and I know this is an important issue to them. But I can't say I ever gave it a whole lot of thought.

No, I don't know that it's the issue necessarily. I think it's more my intense disappointment in the people of California and America as a whole on the issue.

I believed people were more accepting than this. That people loved their fellow man and their wishes, no matter what.

This is essentially not only shattering the possibility of happiness for thousands and thousands and thousands of people across the nation. But also, my own world view.

Despite how completely fucked up the world is, I've always thought people were inherently good. That they would do what was right, and kind, and would benefit people the most. I know I haven't had much proof to this theory. But it's still one I've held dear.

But that's not the issue, that's for me to reconcile.

The issue, is that this proposition is cruelty. It's beating up on a minority with archaic, personal, ideologues and fear-mongering. There's not one justifiable reason to not allow these people to be happy.

People are upset because they don't want gay marriages taking place in their church. Solution? Go to a different church. The state isn't FORCING the church to do anything. Every church has the right to refuse a marriage, regardless of sex, creed, sexual orientation, whatever. Do people really think because it's legal now, gays are just going to crawl out of the woodwork to be married and piss all over your beliefs? No, they're going to be married somewhere they're accepted, not in your haven of hate and fear.

People are also afraid it's going to pervert children and they're going to all become gay. Get real. People don't just decide, "WELL I GUESS SINCE EVERYONE ELSE IS GAY, I WILL BE TOO." That's the kind of ignorance that has kept social advancement at a crawl. Yes, children are going to be told it's okay to be gay.

Because it is.

If you, as a parent, don't think it's okay, then it is your RESPONSIBILITY to explain to your child why you think so. It's not the government's job to shield your child from life.

It is not mine, nor yours, nor the government's, nor God's, nor Allah's, nor L. Ron Hubbard's, nor anyone else's place to say what makes a person happy or what is holy or what is sanctimonious.

Nor should it be a democratic process that decides this.

Nor should the rights of a person be infringed upon because they are of a different sexual orientation.

Nor should who is and who is not family be decided by anyone other than the people in that family.

All of those things lie within the self. Not the church. Not the state. Not hate groups. Not the PTA. Not anything but the self.

This is not justice.

This is not fair.

And luckily, this will not stand.

But, unluckily, it will take time.

I can only hope that time comes soon.

Please don't get caught up in the historic moment that is taking place, no matter how great it is. Don't forget forget that while we've come so far, we've yet so far to go. Don't stop caring for your fellow man.

It's a bittersweet day for me and I pray I'm not alone.