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Election '08: Barack Obama wins presidency, gays and lesbians lose rightsFirst, the good news: Barack Obama is the next president of the United States. After winning on overwhelming majority of the Electoral College votes (and a slight majority of the popular vote), president elect Obama and his family, along with vice-president elect Joe Biden and his family, spoke to a crowd of 60,000 cheering supporters gathered inside Chicago's Grant Park, with another 100,00 gathered outside.
This is a more powerful moment for America than I can properly describe, so I will just quote Rachel Maddow, who summarized on MSNBC tonight as we watched images of Americans celebrating his win around the country, "to have a moment that means this much, that you can put alongside the emancipation proclamation in our history, in terms of what the idea of America is, and what the relationship of Americans are to one another, so that we can speak to the rest of the world ... it's sort of worth crying about." I'll confess I shed more than one tear myself tonight, and as I write this in my apartment in New York well after midnight, there is still loud cheering in the streets outside. Now the bad news: American gay rights were delivered a blow tonight, as propositions and amendments that deny or prevent the legalization of same-sex marriage were approved in Arizona and Florida, and marriage rights were actually taken away in California. Arkansas also made it illegal for gay couples to adopt (thanks to doublescarlettfan for the tip). This also makes me want to cry, but not tears of joy. A night of mixed emotions, to be sure. We can only hope this is a short-term setback, and that President Obama will help usher in a new era of acceptance for gay rights. Including a mention of gay people in his inspiring acceptance speech is a promising start. Update: Watch his acceptance speech here: Submitted by on November 5, 2008 - 1:10am. |
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Even worse...
I believe Arkansas also made it illegal for gay couples to adopt, and that the Florida initiative prohibited will "protect marriage as the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife," while providing that "no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized."
So, no civil unions I guess, either?
These results make me despair of society.
arkansas' amendment is
arkansas' amendment is worse than it seems. it limits adoption and foster care to only legally MARRIED couples. so single people are out of the loop as well. it's hard to believe that people would take away the chance for a child to find a loving safe home. they have significantly reduced the number of people able to adopt. a great many of people have bias towards adoption and they just forbid the folks who actually want to do so from adopting.
yeah...you really care about the children there.
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~i am bisexual. you are confused.~
Come With Me (if you want to live) the forum: http://www.afterellen.com/node/31891
&
Indeed...
in their fervor to keep kids away from the evil influence of homos, AR voters kept them away from ANY unmarried individuals.
My first thought was a new law should be passed requiring everyone who voted in favor of Act 1 to take in a fosterchild if they are married and may legally do so.
But then I realized I didn't want people with such skewed values influencing children who are already having a tough time. I won't ban such idiots from adopting, but I won't encourage it either. :P
Seriously though, it is truly, truly sad for our children.
speech
No, Prop 8 has to Pass
www.myspace.com/lunakiss7
No. No bad news twice in one evening. Sarah, will you and your staff do a rundown of all the propositions concerning same-gender rights. Please.
Explanation
Try 365gay.com
Ballot Measure links
These sites have info on ballots across the states:
Local Ballot Measures by CNN
Guide to the Most Interesting State Ballot Measures by CQPolitics
Hope it's helpful.
prop 8, 102, Act 1, amendment 2, and how we got screwed.
Prop 8 passed [to state the obvious by now]... seriously? oh yeah we can have rights for 4 months but our time is up so go ahead and take it back. what utter bull.
102 i wasn't very surprised at cause, hey! it's arizona... but it still really sucks. and it was supposed to just define marriage as between a man and a woman.
and Amendment 102... the most terrible, idiotic piece of legislation i've ever read in my [short, 18 yo] life. not only does it ban gay marriage, it makes it so civil unions, domestic partnerships, etc.. are not recognized. this isn't just gay people! ALL of the STRAIGHT people with domestic partnerships, or whatever are getting SCREWED OVER too.... and it all has to do with the "protection of marriage". how they got this on the ballot, i don't know. and how they passd it... i don't know either. what i DO know was that they played dirty with the voters saying it was all about gay marriage and in reality it had very little to do with it since florida already has stuff against us marrying in their constitution.
As for the thing in arkansas, it's more about unmarried couples than just gay couples... but now NOBODY can adopt a child unless they're married. this puts a strain on EVERYTHING. the courts trying to place children... also, what if a child's parent dies? kids in arkansas are going to suffer for this big time... i hope something hapens that makes all of these switch, but that's only wishful thinking.
right now i'm holding onto the happiness i have for obama and the hope that he'll help change the mess this country just made. hope that helps people that were wondering about those things.
"Sometimes when i get homesick i hum the mr softee song"
anti-gay measures
http://www.365gay.com/news/florida-arkansas-voters-ok-anti-gay-ballot-me...
I think this is a good article if you want a quick run through of all the anti-gay ballot measures, all of which unfortunately passed...:(
Happy about Obama
What a kick in the
I've been simply gutted
Ditto.
I can't help feeling overwhelmingly sorry about prop 8.
F(!) -_-
I can't help being sad today which is so hard...
Everyone keeps coming up to me and going whooo! for Obama but I'm down in the dumps because of Prop 8. I know in terms of rights Obama is probably more important but in terms of feeling insulted by the country I'd rather have Pres. McCain and Prop. 8 defeated. I will not assume everyone who voted for McCain thinks I am a second-class citizen - we just disagree on some things, and might not even disagree on that. But Prop 8 is a slap in the face and there is NO reason for voting for it except for homophobia. And it makes me want to cry that even in California, the majority of people do not think we should have basic rights.
At least my state, CT, voted not to have a constitutional convention which means we will have gay marriage for the foreseeable future. So all you Californians, come on over to the Constitution state - it's a bit cold, but at least our Constitution does not have discrimination in it.
CT
I'm so happy I live in CT, I used to hate it because the area that I live in is homophobic and racist and I never thought in a million years that marriage would be legal for gays.
It's a great day today... Obama will be our president and though our rights are taken away I feel that soon enough we will have our rights again... soon enough. but until then...
Watched with you Sarah!!
I was also in tears! Tears of Joy for President Obama and Tears of Pain about us losing rights! Hopefully, by the grace of god, Prop 8 DOES NOT PASS!! As of now it is 53 Yes and 47 No. They say its still early being only 1/3 of the vote counted! They just showed many couples rushing to exchange vows! Words can't express what I just felt! Thanks for all you do Sarah! XOXO
www.myspace.com/xenite29
California
Still majorly
pissed offbummed that the banprobablymight be passed. It's so screwed up. What ever happened to "all men are created equally" and when was it changed to "only certain men are considered equal". Its disgusting. Congrats to Obama though.YAY for OBAMA but
I've never felt so torn
I wanted Obama to win so bad, and I wanted it to be a landslide. I checked the polls everyday for weeks. Watching the states change colors, I could help being both hopeful for victory and afraid of a Kerry repeat.
I got up early and was at the polling place 20 minutes before it opened on Tuesday. And when I got home from work I set up my laptop in front of the TV so I could check the Internet for news while watching the election with my partner and my Mom.
When Ohio was called, my mom, partner and I cheered simultaneously. And we were riding high for the rest of the night. And when NBC projected the election for Obama there was lots of hugging.
Then, just before Obama started his speech, I started checking on the anti-gay ballot measures with my laptop...and they were all passing... Not wanting to kill the mood of my partner and my Mom I just kept it to myself.
Then I just started crying. I think they thought it was the happy crying, but it was more like the sobbing I think I'm going to puke crying. Anti-gay measures always do this to me, whatever state it's in. Even when I know they're going to pass. Knowing and being prepared is just like flinching...it doesn't hurt until you actually get punched.
My Mom tried to console me with old "it'll happen in time". And I said, no...there is no more time. I guess, California is still to close to call. But still, Florida...the same-sex marriage ban passed with a landslide, voted on by the same people who elected Obama.
The way this country has dealt with the rights of gays is disgusting. The rights of a minority should never be left up to the majority. Ever. It's offensive. I'm emotionally exhausted.
Saw it with my own eyes
I am still on an Obama high. I was in the Grant Park crowd when they announced that he was the president elect. The cheer that went up was unbelieveable ... I'm actually hoarse from all that shouting but this is one I can't complain about :). WOW ... 'Yes He Did' was written on a couple of shirts that I saw. Folks were laughing, crying hugging and all that's in between. I was also happy to hear from family members who live abroad but had stayed up to see the results.
I'm sad to hear about the ammendments that got passed .... a nights of highs and lows.
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http://thequeerafrican.blogspot.com/
Queer Africans say aye!
I was there, too!
I have been to some really large demonstrations, at least as large as what was there in Grant Park. I have never experienced anything like what happened tonight. Like you said, everyone crying, laughing, hugging, cheering.
Everyone I've talked to has said some version of "I feel so proud of America. I feel like we fulfilled our ideals. I feel like we actually got it right this time." That sense of redemption and hope is powerful.
As for the ballot initiatives, obviously the news from Florida, Arkansas, and Arizonia is awful. I keep hoping and praying for a national law that will trump all these states...or at least a SCOTUS ruling regarding to recognition of gay marriages performed in CA, CT, or MA in states such which have passed marriage bans.
It looks now like Prop 8 in CA will be defeated, at least. Largely due to high turnout of young voters. So we know that the country is headed toward inclusion. Just not fast enough.
YES, WE CAN!!!
I watched the election at a LGBT cafe. My heart ached to see the tearful faces of couples who had been together for decades as the news of Prop 8 filtered in. This is not fair. It needs to change.
I believe that the passing of these hateful laws is actually a positive thing for our community. We have found so much strength in ourselves and eachother. We will continue to fight and find allies in our fight.
We have an inspirational new president. his speech included us and should inspire us. We are working for change. It is inevitable that we will get equal rights.
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" Martin Luther King, Jr.
i was floored when i heard
i know.
Two Steps Back
What really ticks me off about Arizona is that they voted AGAINST banning gay marriage last election! Why are we moving backwards? And California is even worse -- why would people vote to TAKE AWAY rights already given? And Florida drove the stake into any chance for equal rights -- gay marriage was already illegal there; now it's ironclad.
I truly feel the only way we'll see gay marriage in our country is to make it a national, rather than a statewide, matter. We are still so very far from that possibility... but Obama is a step in the right direction.
High Voter Turnout
The second argument ventured
The second argument ventured by opponents of the [civil marriage act] is that government ought to hold a national referendum on this issue. I reject this - not out of a disregard for the view of the people, but because it offends the very purpose of the Charter [of Rights and Freedoms].
The Charter was enshrined to ensure that the rights of minorities are not subjected, are never subjected, to the will of the majority. The rights of Canadians who belong to a minority group must always be protected by virtue of their status as citizens, regardless of their numbers. These rights must never be left vulnerable to the impulses of the majority.
We embrace freedom and equality in theory, Mr. Speaker. We must also embrace them in fact.
- Address by Prime Minister Paul Martin on The Civil Marriage Act (Bill C-38), February 16, 2005 - http://www.yawningbread.org/apdx_2005/imp-176.htm
The entire concept of minority rights being up for popular vote (read: rights dictated by the will of the majority) is, frankly, fucking insane to me. I agree whole heartedly with your sentiments along those lines, and hope that somehow the American people will be able to sort through this mess of random state bans etc. and create nationalized same-sex marriage legislation.
And not because some people voted for it, but because it's the right thing to do.
The US Constitution DOES
What? The vote is what makes
We Aren't Supposed to Vote on This
We have a court system to protect the rights of individuals. That's what it's there for. The courts should never have allowed this to be put on the ballot. Our Judicial system has been under attack for some time now.
No civil rights movement has ever had to work to get 51% of the vote. Women would never have gotten the right to vote if it had been left to popular vote when all the voters were men. If segregation had been left up to the voters in southern states, those states would still have segregation.
This is a friggin' no brainer. The majority has nothing to gain by voting in favor of the rights of a minority. People only vote for things where they think they have something to gain from it. People don't vote for the interests of other people.
It's straight people voting on whether or not they think gays should have certain rights. This does not make sense.
Couldn't agree more,
Couldn't agree more, GrrrlRomeo.
If it had been left up to voting, women would not have been given the right to vote. If it had been left up to voting, there would still probably be segregation in some places. If it's left up to the majority to vote on minority rights, we're never going to see those rights. Ever.
As long as religion has it's hold on many voters, there can be NO true democracy, as they are not voting as people who care about the rights of others...they are voting out of fear, ignorance, intolerance and prejudice.
This kind of infringement on civil rights should not be left up to the people, it should be in the hands of those who have everybody's interests at heart. It should be done as a matter of course, and it should be done now.
They clearly can't leave this as a state to state decision, this has to go further. How can a country that preaches freedom and rights be left to discriminate, and abuse the rights of it's own citizens in this way? It's disgusting.
http://www.femslashfanfiction.com - Femslash Fanfiction
Steps...
It takes time, but if an Obama win shows us anything, it's that change can and will come. It will take time, and there will be hurt on the way, but victory WILL be ours in the long run. We just can't give up.
http://sarasdarkness.blogspot.com
Wise Words
Well said.
When setbacks like this happen, we can either let them discourage us or let them galvanize us. Or maybe a little of both.
But I have no doubt that in the long run this kind of thing will make us all fight harder. And we will win our rights in the long run because what we're asking for is fair and right.
Gah. I feel dark times creeping up...
But we're loosing. In an ugly, backwards sorta way. (Feeling violent now.)
Seems to me that in order to avoid further disappointments, we need to get a country of our own. Or this just won't stop happening. Greenland anyone?
As Sarah Palin would say,
it makes me ill. I'm so glad that Americans took the right step in voting for Obama, but I literally feel sick and disgusted that California, of all the states, has danced around gay marriage for years - giving it to the community, taking it away, giving it back, and taking it away again. And after Obama mentioned gays in his FIRST speech as president elect?
While I've never been one for what can be seen as cultural imperialism from America, as someone who lives in a ridiculously conservative country, I've always looked that way for hope on equal rights issues, and this is just incredibly disappointing. And the stupidest thing is - gay marriage won't take away straight peoples' rights! It's a stupid, ideological, irrational and totally unjustified fear, and I hate it. I feel ridiculously hopeless and defeated - if California, of all places, sees us gays as not worthy of having the same rights as everyone one else, what's the point? Maybe we should sit at the backs of buses and not have the right to vote.
But on the bright side, yay Obama. I've been religiously following the US elections for ages, and now I don't really know what I'll be doing anymore.
The Obama Factor
Many of the pundits, and I believe, most of us with half a brain do realize the youth vote is what really made it for Obama. That was both a good and bad thing in regards to Proposition 8. Many young people are riding very high for Obama, and swallow everything he says straight up. Obama and Biden both have said they do not support gay marriage and I believe this is what we're seeing reflected in the voting propensity of youth in California. You'll notice a huge spill of Democratic wins everywhere. The youth are echoing the platform when we were already fighting the old guard.
I was born and raised in central California, a lesbian daughter of a gay father. The small city I lived in was certainly NOT open minded! The days I was told my father and I would burn in hell for our lifestyle were the lighter comments I dealt with. I would quickly remind anyone who has the impression that California is some sort of LGBT safehaven that we've voted Republican for most of our governors.
I have since lived in Montana, where I have lost jobs (simply based on perceived sexuality), had my tires slashed, beer bottles thrown at my door (on Christmas) and read the news of at least one or two violent attacks on homosexuals a year. It has left me not a touch bitter and jaded regarding our society.
We now live in a country where an African American man can be president, but the LGBT community still cannot consider themselves "safe". Though I'm sure it was not intentional, Obama and Biden's stance has not helped us one bit.
I foresee a continued trend in DOMA countrywide, but possibly an increase in Civil Unions IF Obama so chooses to take up that task when he's not busy with everything else. More likely, we will see our issues continue to take a backseat to the economy and the war. The likeliness the laws against homosexual adoption will continue is low. It may continue in the more traditional and southern states, but most states will realize very quickly they can't affor teh long term implications of keeping children in the system. I would expect adoption laws to be less frequent.
Ultimately, I voted early, and you better believe I voted for Obama. I also encouraged friends, family and co-workers to do the same. It was not easy. However, I would rather put my money on the new idea than keep trudging the same, over used path we've been down for 8 years. Not only that, but I would do anything to keep Sarah Palin out of the lower 48 (much less anywhere near the White House!)
Thanks for your post
I'm truly sorry for all the crap you've gone through in both states, and it's eye-opening to realise that California's not the rainbow-flag-waving, gay-loving heaven a lot of people think it is. It's just horrifying to think that California, which IS probably one of the most left-leaning states in the US (and is home to the gay mecca of the world) would be so scarily against gay marriage and equal rights. It gives people like me in countries like mine absoutely no hope. Here in Asia, we're always talking about the terrible Western (ie American) influence that causes our kids to think that being gay is acceptable. But then again, we have Canada, Spain and Norway, as well as Massachusetts and Connecticut, among others, to look to for nation-wide legalised gay marriage!
Regarding Obama, I have to admit I don't actually support the Democratic party. However, I find it the MUCH lesser of two evils. If I had the opportunity to vote, I'd vote democratic - just like you said, to keep Sarah Palin out. The woman seriously terrifies me, and it scares the shit out of me to think that people actually believe the same things she does.
Obama was AGAINST prop 8
Thought Obama has stated he
This night has been an
This night has been an emotional rollercoaster to be sure. here's a list of the measures:
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/ballot.measures/
Gay rights didn't just lose, they got slammed :( The ban on adoption really stung for me.
At least we can see what happens with don't ask don't tell in the coming years. hopefully transitions can be made federally.
*exhale*
So, I fell asleep when Obama needed 63 more Electoral Votes, a mere hour later when I awoke he had beaten McCain by nearly 60 votes. I came in on McCain conceding and I couldn't believe it.
But, I can't be completely happy because I'm so heart-sick about Prop 8 right now. I'm scared. It's one thing to try and prevent civil rights but, it's another to TAKE AWAY the rights that have already been given. If I can't believe in California's innate progressive nature, what can I believe in?
P.S. I live in Virginia and we went from Red to Blue tonight and I'm so proud of that.
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~It means pride.~
Go Obama!!! Well said Sarah!
Mixed emotions
still optimistic
im watchin
As of right now 11:46pm PST
As of right now 11:46pm PST the outcome on prop 8 is not final. Unfortunately it's 53% yes 47% no with 48% reporting.
Shelley C
Mixed feelings.
And I sit here in tears...
on the outlook for the LGBT community on this day.. First Grey's Anatomy showing how much America truly isn't accepting... And this.. All these amendments.. I pray that there is some sort of over turn on gay marriage. I mean they did it for interracial marriage right?.... A vote on that would of lost.. I'm so sad... I can't believe Prop 8 is even close.. It should have been a no brainer.. Obama mentioning gays in his speech did give me hope though... If not for making gay marriage legal, atleast civil unions that are actually legal federally as well...
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