Protest Prop. 8!

Last week was one of mixed emotions 'round these parts. Going to sleep on Tuesday, November 4th with the cheers of millions still ringing, chants of "Obama!" and "Yes, We Did!" was a wondrous thing, causing my heart to grown three sizes that night at the election of the first African-American president of the United States - a man who seems as if he really will be able to lead us out of the nightmare of the Bush Administration, with a little help from all of us.

But to awaken on Wednesday morning to the news that Californians voted to pass Proposition 8? To know that the majority of citizens of my adopted state - where I've lived since I was 11 and the only state I've ever really known as home - decided it would be just fine and dandy to remove the rights of an entire group of fellow citizens and to codify hatred and bigotry into the California State Constitution?

All of my happiness and goodwill from the previous evening evaporated.

I thought we were better than that, California. We're known for being on the cutting edge of so many things, and here we've taken a step back into the dark ages of fear and bigotry, allowing out of state interests and churches to manipulate us for their own purposes, buying the lies that they told us about teaching same-sex marriage in schools and forcing churches to marry couples they don't want to marry. And for what?

To yank away existing civil rights for people who only want the same opportunities that the majority have: to marry the person that they love. Nothing more. Nothing less. If I have the right to marry a man at a quickie chapel in Las Vegas, two women or two men who have been together for a decade or more (or less) damn well better have the right to marry the person that he or she loves. And yes: MARRY. Not civil unions. Not separate but equal. Not accepting that said couples are second class citizens. We went down that road with African-Americans. Do we really want to go down that road again? I think not.

Dear readers, this ain't over. Not by a long shot.

SoCal Grassroots fully supports equality for all, which is why we've put together a page of links for actions that you can take to fight the passage of Proposition 8.

We're all in this together: gays, lesbians, straights, asexuals.

Everyone.

Let's work to assure basic civil rights for EVERY Californian. And EVERY American.

My Oh My...

....this looks like a week for Schadenfreude Pie.

Not only has yet another anti-gay Republican legislator been caught with his hand in the "soliciting gay sex in a public restroom" cookie jar and dear ol' Al Gonzales resigned as US Attorney General, but last week even Republican creationists on the Texas State School Board voted against including intelligent design in science classes.

Schadenfreude Pie - dark, rich and delicious...

Let the Chipping Away Commence!

It seemed to take a long time, but it's finally happened. In what's proven to be a very busy week for those folks in the long black robes, the conservative U.S. Supreme Court has finally started chipping away at limiting corporate-funded broadcast ads, separation of church and state, voluntary affirmative action and antitrust laws. These new decisions go cozily hand in hand with the recent upholding of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003.

If it weren't so vital to the citizens of the United States to fight against these injust justices, I'd be tempted to sit back with some buttered popcorn, Twizzlers and SnoCaps and watch the show. Because, my friends, this is only the beginning of the epic foulness to come.