I feel a profound sense of hope and joy. It feels like a new day is dawning after eight long, dark years. Though if I'm honest, it's been much longer than that. For longer than I've been alive, this country has been divided against itself. Our politicians have used fear and hate to divest from our future (cutting money for education, the arts, science) and line their own pockets. By electing Obama, we've shown that we are capable of better things. He appealed to our higher selves and we not only listened, but also acted.
Unfortunately, I also have a sense of sadness and disappointment. In my great state of California, where I was born and raised, where I have always had friends of different colors, religions and ethnic origins, where i felt that we embraced our diversity and saw it as our greatest strength, a majority of voters chose to enshrine discrimination into our Constitution.
So in the joy and celebration of electing an intelligent, capable man, who happens to be black, as president, I also feel a little left out of the party. In a new era of inclusion, I and many others have been excluded. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we shouldn't celebrate. I was shouting for joy, jumping, arms in the air with crowds of people in downtown Berkeley on election night, as cars honked and people walked around with big grins on their faces. We should celebrate. Life is hard and full of struggles. We should always seize every opportunity to celebrate.
So enjoy, for I believe race trumped all other divisions in our society. America struck a fatal blow to racism on election day. And in the face of this newest injustice, together we can end all forms of discrimination. In the words of our new president when he conceded in New Hampshire,
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and absolutionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom.
Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots...
As you can see, we are just the latest link in a long chain of injustice. We can and will end the inequality confronting us. No one should be a second class citizen. It won't be easy, but take heart.
We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.
Although Proposition 8 passed 52%-48% with over 5.6 million people voting for it, we are not alone. Over 5.1 million voted against it. A difference of half a million in a state of 37 million.
Straight friends and strangers have given me the most hope. They have phonebanked, volunteered, voted and are now raging against this injustice. I feel as if they are more upset about this than I am. They are shocked to think that our rights were put to a simple majority vote, that a right already acknowledged could then be taken away, and that people would hate and fear us and seek to discriminate against us.
So to all of you who have accepted us for who we are, sometimes even before we accepted ourselves, and to those of you who have opened your hearts and minds and learned to accept us, I thank you. I know because of you this hateful law will not stand.
So celebrate. This week we elected a president to represent us, all of us. And in those same eight dark years, the percentage of those for and against a ban on gay marriage went from 61% for (with 4.5 million votes) and 39% against (with 2.9 million votes) to 52% for and 48% against. And when the celebration is over, it'll be time to roll up our sleeves and fight again.