Of course you know, this means war.
Do you hear the people sing?
Singing the songs of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!
--"Do You Hear the People Sing?" from Les Misérables
Okay, California voters. Conservatives and Right-Wing Fundamentalist Christians and bigots all over America. Those of you who, for whatever reason, have decided that the two guys down the street vowing to love each other for the rest of their lives somehow demeans YOUR marriage. Everybody who thinks that, because I'm attracted to other people with dicks, or because my friend Jess is attracted to other people with pussies, we're somehow less deserving of our rights than the "normal" people. You politicians who use hatred and fear to whip up support for your crusade against people whose view of love is different from your own.
Yeah, all of you. I'm talking to you, bitches.
You fucked up. Big time. BIG. TIME.
Up until now, I've been content to quietly wait and watch while things played out in other places and on my t.v. screen. Believing, naively, that somewhere, somehow, I would see evidence that somebody in this country actually thought I--and other people like me--were full human beings. That there would be someplace where we could be shown love, and dignity, and acceptance, not just for who we are, but for our humanity.
Well, obviously, that's not going to happen anytime soon.
At first, it made me sad. Very, very deeply sad.
But the sadness has passed.
And now?
I. Am. Pissed.
No longer am I going to be silent when I hear someone expressing disdain or hatred for someone of alternate sexual orientation. No longer am I going to sit idly by when someone tosses off yet another demeaning term for homosexuals, or says "That's so gay!" when they find something lame. No longer am I going to just quietly roll my eyes when someone tries to tell me that being gay is sinful, or unnatural, or against the will of whatever Almighty Being they've placed on a pedestal.
People in my life--friends, family, co-workers, politicians--are, from this point on, going to be held accountable. They'll have to explain themselves. They'll have to defend their words. They'll have to learn what it means to have a pissed-off, radical, raging fairy on their hands.
You will NOT tell me I'm less of a human being than anyone else.
You will NOT tell me I don't deserve every single goddamn right that every single other goddamn American has.
You will NOT tell me that I don't belong here.
You will NOT make me feel that my love is less valid than anyone else's because of the gender of the person toward whom it is directed.
You WILL accept me for who and what I am, or you will NOT be a part of my life.
I am a human being, just like everyone else on this planet.
I deserve to live, be free, and pursue happiness, just like everyone else on this planet.
I deserve to love and be loved, just like everyone else on this planet.
And I'm not waiting for you to bring the fight to me. I'm on the offensive now.
This is war.
Who's with me?
Singing the songs of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!
--"Do You Hear the People Sing?" from Les Misérables
Okay, California voters. Conservatives and Right-Wing Fundamentalist Christians and bigots all over America. Those of you who, for whatever reason, have decided that the two guys down the street vowing to love each other for the rest of their lives somehow demeans YOUR marriage. Everybody who thinks that, because I'm attracted to other people with dicks, or because my friend Jess is attracted to other people with pussies, we're somehow less deserving of our rights than the "normal" people. You politicians who use hatred and fear to whip up support for your crusade against people whose view of love is different from your own.
Yeah, all of you. I'm talking to you, bitches.
You fucked up. Big time. BIG. TIME.
Up until now, I've been content to quietly wait and watch while things played out in other places and on my t.v. screen. Believing, naively, that somewhere, somehow, I would see evidence that somebody in this country actually thought I--and other people like me--were full human beings. That there would be someplace where we could be shown love, and dignity, and acceptance, not just for who we are, but for our humanity.
Well, obviously, that's not going to happen anytime soon.
At first, it made me sad. Very, very deeply sad.
But the sadness has passed.
And now?
I. Am. Pissed.
No longer am I going to be silent when I hear someone expressing disdain or hatred for someone of alternate sexual orientation. No longer am I going to sit idly by when someone tosses off yet another demeaning term for homosexuals, or says "That's so gay!" when they find something lame. No longer am I going to just quietly roll my eyes when someone tries to tell me that being gay is sinful, or unnatural, or against the will of whatever Almighty Being they've placed on a pedestal.
People in my life--friends, family, co-workers, politicians--are, from this point on, going to be held accountable. They'll have to explain themselves. They'll have to defend their words. They'll have to learn what it means to have a pissed-off, radical, raging fairy on their hands.
You will NOT tell me I'm less of a human being than anyone else.
You will NOT tell me I don't deserve every single goddamn right that every single other goddamn American has.
You will NOT tell me that I don't belong here.
You will NOT make me feel that my love is less valid than anyone else's because of the gender of the person toward whom it is directed.
You WILL accept me for who and what I am, or you will NOT be a part of my life.
I am a human being, just like everyone else on this planet.
I deserve to live, be free, and pursue happiness, just like everyone else on this planet.
I deserve to love and be loved, just like everyone else on this planet.
And I'm not waiting for you to bring the fight to me. I'm on the offensive now.
This is war.
Who's with me?