As Only the Young Can Truly Describe

California Supreme Court Declares, “YES TO MARRIAGE EQUALITY!”

Today the State’s supreme court decided the issue of who can get married in California. The answer is, everyone. Gay or straight, marriage is a right and there is no second-class status in their state.

I’m a proud resident of Massachusetts and I will never forget the day the court ruled in favor of the Goodridge Plaintiffs. I raised my fists up to the sky and felt powerful in a way that I had never felt before. I was equal. Discriminating against my right to marriage was unconstitutional. It was not acceptable in the eyes of the law.

As a lesbian, I have never felt protected by the law. When we went through the process of second parent adoption in Massachusetts for our three boys, each time I had a lump in my throat. The laws were created to keep people like me away.

No more.

California has taken the next step in the fight for equality. Without question. There are many more to take before LGBT people are seen as equals in the law, equals in this country on both state and federal levels.

And there will be backlash, threats of the end of the world. Funny thing is, we’re still all alive and breathing in Massachusetts. Heterosexuals are still getting married- and divorced- at the same rate as always. The biggest difference is a lot of kids, like mine, have their families protected.

Rights guaranteed.

Because it’s not about “gay marriage.” It’s about equal access to a legal institution that has been created to ensure committed couples are protected. It ensures the children of that couple are protected under the law. There have been thousands of legal precedents based on the institution of marriage that simply cannot be replicated by a new term, or new legal definition.

And no one is going to force any religious institution to embrace is because in our country, we have a separation of church and state. I know it doesn’t seem like we do, but in fact, that is required by our constitution.

Congratulations, California. Welcome to the increasing number of states that refuse to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.

It feels good, doesn’t it?

New National Gay Holiday

May 15th-May 17th.

May 15th for California, and of course, May 17th for Massachusetts.

I still can't breathe.

California Gets Marriage...

And It's Only the Beginning.

my piece just posted on Gaywired...

WE WON

HOLY SHIT WE WON...

I will say I was watching CNN and they reported we LOST.

Five Minutes Left

and I honestly can hardly breathe.

If we lose, we'll be fine. There are other states on the brink of marriage equality.

But if we win...

Tide is Changing

If the California Supreme Court rules in favor of allowing gay marriage, as is expected, do we all understand the magnitude of this decision?

Massachusetts set the precedent with Goodridge vs. the Department of Health. The first state in the country that allowed equal marriage rights. Because it's not so much about "gay marriage" now is it? It's about fair and equal access to rights.

If California rules in a similar fashion? It is no longer a single rouge state. It's a movement across the country.

I don't think marriage rights are the end all and be all of the LGBT civil rights movement. But it is a cornerstone. A key piece.

And funny thing? California doesn't have an antiquated law from 1913 that doesn't allow people from out of state to get married.

There will be no stopping the tide of change.

Ruling Tomorrow, 10AM on CA Marriage

Thursday in San Francisco, the ruling on a historic case...

"This case includes the following issue: Does California’s statutory ban on marriage
between two persons of the same sex violate the California Constitution by denying equal
protection of the laws on the basis of sexual orientation or sex, by infringing on the
fundamental right to marry, or by denying the right to privacy and freedom of expression?
Opinion(s) in the above case(s) will be filed on:
Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 10:00 a.m."

California Court to Rule on Marriage Equality

Ah, the rumor mill was turning, but I just received verification from Lambda Legal


"Lambda Legal is co-sponsoring two events in Los Angeles... first, a news
conference at noon with members of the legal team and community leaders at
the Village at Ed Gould Plaza, and second, a community gathering at 7:00 pm
at the intersection of San Vicente and Santa Monica Boulevards in West
Hollywood. Please spread the word!"

I am spreading the word!

Proud Exit

I have one hope for today. I hope that Clinton cleans up in West Virginia and Kentucky. I hope for this so she can gracefully exit, save some face, and bring an end to this primary race.

I still believe she is the better candidate. But as I've said before, it's time for her to leave. Obama needs to gather all the resources and energy now.

Obama versus McCain.

But if for one last day, to have a great showing, to end the nasty barbs flying through the media calling her, among many other things, racist- something so twisted out of context I can't stand it- to end on a high note.

I won't be watching the returns. It was bad enough watching the Celtics lose last night. I simply don't have it in me. I'm going to curl up with a good book, maybe watch the Red Sox if they are playing. Take a long, long swim.

Because it's over. Obama is our nominee.

I only hope for a proud exit for Clinton.

Questions for McCain

For Those Old Folks..

Anyone watching TV in the 70's will know exactly who these characters are.



All the rest of you? It's past your bedtime. Go to bed.

Almost

(sorry, missed my picture post yesterday!)

Mother's Day Picnic

The boys, with the help of their dads, made a beautiful mother's day picnic for us. Only once a year are you allowed to have a picnic in the Arnold Arboretum and that's Lilac Sunday. This year, Lilac Sunday and mother's day happily coincided.

Zachary chose the menu- sandwiches, chips, fruit, lemonade, cheese and crackers.

The sun was out and it was truly a beautiful day.

The Few, The Proud, The Convicted Felons

Today, I am on GayWired, with The Few, The Proud, The Convicted Felons, a piece that made me physically ill to write.

Please go read it.

Lawrence King Deserved To Die

While the defense lawyer in the Lawrence King shooting decided to take the most disgusting route possible- it was in fact, Larry’s fault for being open about himself and the school’s efforts to support him that got him killed.

I’m not surprised but it makes me sick.

The defense attorney, William Quest, said, “administrators were so intent on nurturing King as he explored his sexuality, allowing him to come to school wearing feminine makeup and accessories, that they downplayed the turmoil that his behavior was causing on campus.”

So when a group of people decides to pick on a single person- who did have the constitutional right, “under long-established case law,”to dress the way he did- it is the single person’s responsibility to change?

Silly me, I would have thought it was a teachable moment. An opportunity to learn. I know, crazy to think that might happen in a school.

What if Larry was Black and decided to wear afro-centric clothes in a racist town. Would it be up to him to change? Would we excuse his killer because, well, he should have known better than to do that? Or would we be outraged by the senseless killing of someone simply because they were different.

Lawrence King had the constitutional right to be dressed the way he chose to be dressed. Brandon McInerney had no constitutional right to bring a gun into school and deal with his “discomfort” over King.

In the meantime, at Brewster High School, Michael Loscalzo has begun to wear women’s clothes to school. He has been in therapy and is in the process of making the decision to transition to being a woman.

“Brewster Schools Superintendent Jane Sandbank reiterated that the district stresses respect and tolerance of all people.

"The school has been supportive of Michael and helping him work through his issues," Sandbank said. "Undergoing a sex change is a major choice for a young man to make. We would hope that the school would give appropriate guidance and ensure that he's not ridiculed or bullied."

Some of Loscalzo’s peers have been supportive. Some have not. Some organized an “Equality Protest.” Some have called him a freak.

I’m proud of Loscalzo, I’m proud of his mother who is scared but supports him, and I’m proud of his friends who rallied around him. He may transition and he may not. Sandbank is right. It is about tolerance and respect.

And I’m terrified the very tolerance and respect deserved may also get him killed.

Like Lawrence King.

Will we be blamed, again, for being out and proud? Because that’s what it boils down to, being unashamed and out of the closet. I don’t care if you are uncomfortable with my life. I will talk to you, try to inform you, share my experience so you can have a better understanding but if you don’t like it still? You have no right to shoot me.

Your fear is not an acceptable reason to shoot me.

Defense attorney Quark was right about one thing. There were rising tensions between the two boys. King had been bullied for a long time.

The crime was when McInerney’s when he pulled the trigger. He’s a kid. He believed it was okay to kill someone. He needs help. Quark’s defense only reinforces the belief that it’s okay to kill someone who is different.

It only says, Lawrence King deserved to die.