Dream a little dream
Today (or yesterday - november 15th), on an overcast and rainy but humid day in the Northeast of the USA, the rain stopped and the winds died down and the sun even came out for a four hour window in which the National Join the Impact protest took place at Boston City Hall, as hundreds of other protests took place all across the country.
Over 5,000 people in a city where marriage has been legal for five years now, poured out to city hall. In one week, the organizers of our rally managed to grab important speakers, from members of congress to leaders within the Boston queer community. And as I stood there in the middle of that peaceful protest there was a great feeling of hope.
You spend so much of your time guarded and closed off. There's so many threats and so much pain in this world. But standing there in the midst of a group of people that talked of equality and rights and most importantly peace...it was a beautiful thing. "We must not hate those who hate us. It takes up too many valuable resources, it takes up too much time and too much energy. Instead we must forgive them. Start meaningful conversations, tell people how much being equal matters to you. When they hurt you, tell them. Give them a face that they have hurt, give them the words for that pain. Tell them."
I cried a little in the middle of all of that beauty. It could have been about anger it could have been about hate. Hate is easy. This was about love. And as it was said "We know we will win because love always wins out over hate, always."
Some news outlets claim this was about Prop 8. 8 was a catalyst because it actively took away something that was legal, but the rally was about the entire gay rights movement including the losses in Arizona (prop 102), Florida (prop 2) and the loss in Arkansas where no one but a legally married couple can adopt a child. Despite the fact that marriage equality exists in MA and CT, we still remain short all of the federal protections that marriage offers via the fedral DOMA(Defense of Marriage Act) that exists right now. There is still work to be done on a federal level in terms of repealing DOMA, repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell. Passing a fedral ENDA (Employment Non Discrimination Act)so members of the queer community nation wide have job security in these troubling times and also passing the Matthew Sheppard Hate crimes bill that has been in process for ten years.
These are all matters that need attending to. Because as nearly every state constitution and the Declaration of Independance states "We find these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal." One day we will reach that mark. We're still reaching for that dream.
Over 5,000 people in a city where marriage has been legal for five years now, poured out to city hall. In one week, the organizers of our rally managed to grab important speakers, from members of congress to leaders within the Boston queer community. And as I stood there in the middle of that peaceful protest there was a great feeling of hope.
You spend so much of your time guarded and closed off. There's so many threats and so much pain in this world. But standing there in the midst of a group of people that talked of equality and rights and most importantly peace...it was a beautiful thing. "We must not hate those who hate us. It takes up too many valuable resources, it takes up too much time and too much energy. Instead we must forgive them. Start meaningful conversations, tell people how much being equal matters to you. When they hurt you, tell them. Give them a face that they have hurt, give them the words for that pain. Tell them."
I cried a little in the middle of all of that beauty. It could have been about anger it could have been about hate. Hate is easy. This was about love. And as it was said "We know we will win because love always wins out over hate, always."
Some news outlets claim this was about Prop 8. 8 was a catalyst because it actively took away something that was legal, but the rally was about the entire gay rights movement including the losses in Arizona (prop 102), Florida (prop 2) and the loss in Arkansas where no one but a legally married couple can adopt a child. Despite the fact that marriage equality exists in MA and CT, we still remain short all of the federal protections that marriage offers via the fedral DOMA(Defense of Marriage Act) that exists right now. There is still work to be done on a federal level in terms of repealing DOMA, repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell. Passing a fedral ENDA (Employment Non Discrimination Act)so members of the queer community nation wide have job security in these troubling times and also passing the Matthew Sheppard Hate crimes bill that has been in process for ten years.
These are all matters that need attending to. Because as nearly every state constitution and the Declaration of Independance states "We find these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal." One day we will reach that mark. We're still reaching for that dream.