A New Day Has Come

What an amazing, amazing night for our great country. I must be frank, I had doubts this day would occur. Even though polls had been predicting an Obama victory for quite some time, I still felt it was going to be a long night and a closer election than it was. The economic crisis definitely give him a boost, but his appeal across southern states such as Florida, Virginia, and North Carolina and western states such as Nevada and New Mexico were a welcome surprise. Our country has broken through an enormous glass ceiling and it seems that more are destined to follow. We have our first female Speaker of the House who is third in line of succession to the Presidency. It is only a matter of time before we have our first female president. It now seems possible. With Barack Obama's election, so much now seems possible. I will remember this night in the same context as the other major historic events of my life; September 11th, the explosion of the shuttle Challenger, the Millennium, and (on a more personal level) my coming out of the closet at 22. There is also something thoughtful and reassuring about this eloquent young man with such a beautiful family in these unsettling times. Pundits have said, "Yeah, he can give a good speech. But what else can he do?" I would argue that a decent speech and an inspiring personal story are exactly what our citizens need at this moment. Just as Ronald Reagan was the right man for his time, I am confident that President Barack Obama will prove equally skillful and inspiring. The American people are ready to get their hands dirty and start giving of themselves to build a newer, better American society.

Amongst the celebrations of the evening, there was some disappointment in California. Voters approved Proposition 8 which amends the state constitution to define marriage as only being between a man and a woman. The nicest part of the Prop 8 mess has been the support of my straight friends and coworkers. Many have expressed outrage that such a proposition would even be put forth in 2008. I definitely live in San Francisco for a reason. As I have discussed before in this blog, being gay is a complete non-issue. Yes, there will always be ignorant and intolerant people in any community. However the overwhelming majority of people here are tolerant, if not openly supportive, of gay and lesbians. When the California Supreme Court declared gay marriage legal earlier this year, I was very wary of the ruling and I felt it came too soon. Society is gradually warming to the idea of gays and lesbians being out and visible in communities across the country, both urban and rural areas. But we are still in the early stages. I am confident in another ten years, gay marriage will be less of a hot button issue and will be overwhelmingly approved. In the year 2000, California voters approved a gay marriage ban by a ratio of 61 percent to 38 percent. This year, a similar ban was approved 52 percent to 48 percent. Give it time my friends, give it time. History and time are on our side.

To the horror of some of my friends, I was not in complete disbelief over Proposition 8. Rather, I was somewhat resigned to it and unsurprised that the enemies of gay people continue to live in fear of us. I have no idea who the fuck these people think they are and how we gays are "threatening" their "lifestyle". But I do not need a government nor a society to define whether or not my sexuality and my choices are socially acceptable. I encourage all of my gay brothers and sisters to live your best lives and not allow yourself to be defined by narrow mindedness. You will be a heck of a lot happier, I guarantee it.

76 days until Inauguration Day. Cuidate.