Another_Voice_MDF (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} anothervoicemdf) wrote,@ 2008-11-05 07:42:00 |
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Joy, sadness, and a bit of hope
There's a lot of joy in my world this morning; joy over Obama's victory, over the victories in the House and Senate where Sen. Elizabeth Dole, of the, my opponent is an atheist, smear campaign, was soundly defeated, and joy over the general sense that this may be a turning point in our national debate.
But that joy is tempered with a good deal of sadness. Not every vote has been counted, but it looks more and more likely that California will in fact enshrine hate and ignorance and homophobia into its constitution. There are still votes to be counted, but it seems likely that Proposition 8, banning same-sex marriage, will pass.
In my life there have been two states I've been able to call home. California is one of them- my adopted home for the years I was in grad school, and a place I'll always feel affection for. But New York is where I grew up, New York is where I returned to- at heart I'll always be a New Yorker.
Last night, for the first time in my life time, Democrats won a majority in the New York State Senate, giving Democrats control over both houses of the state legislature, as well as the governorship. For years, the barrier to any attempt to move LGBT rights forward in NY state was the hammerlock Republicans held over the state senate.
The majority is a small one, and some of them may well caucus with the Republicans on social issues. But there are also as I understand it some republicans in the state senate who are liberal on social issues, but never got a chance to vote because with the senate in GOP hands, LGBT bills almost never made it to the floor for debate.
It's been years since I focused on NY state politics, so there is a lot I'm still getting up to speed on. But that's going to change. All this sadness, all this disappointment over California- I know what to do with it. From what I understand, a number of groups are gearing up for a big push to get this new NY state legislature to legalize same-sex marriage. Sign me up.
There's a lot of joy in my world this morning; joy over Obama's victory, over the victories in the House and Senate where Sen. Elizabeth Dole, of the, my opponent is an atheist, smear campaign, was soundly defeated, and joy over the general sense that this may be a turning point in our national debate.
But that joy is tempered with a good deal of sadness. Not every vote has been counted, but it looks more and more likely that California will in fact enshrine hate and ignorance and homophobia into its constitution. There are still votes to be counted, but it seems likely that Proposition 8, banning same-sex marriage, will pass.
In my life there have been two states I've been able to call home. California is one of them- my adopted home for the years I was in grad school, and a place I'll always feel affection for. But New York is where I grew up, New York is where I returned to- at heart I'll always be a New Yorker.
Last night, for the first time in my life time, Democrats won a majority in the New York State Senate, giving Democrats control over both houses of the state legislature, as well as the governorship. For years, the barrier to any attempt to move LGBT rights forward in NY state was the hammerlock Republicans held over the state senate.
The majority is a small one, and some of them may well caucus with the Republicans on social issues. But there are also as I understand it some republicans in the state senate who are liberal on social issues, but never got a chance to vote because with the senate in GOP hands, LGBT bills almost never made it to the floor for debate.
It's been years since I focused on NY state politics, so there is a lot I'm still getting up to speed on. But that's going to change. All this sadness, all this disappointment over California- I know what to do with it. From what I understand, a number of groups are gearing up for a big push to get this new NY state legislature to legalize same-sex marriage. Sign me up.
