Yesterday Maine voted to ban same-sex marriage. I'm tired and my heart hurts. Someone asked why we still hope when we lose so many battles. The answer is because these are our lives. No one is going to accept being a second-class citizen. No one is going to lie down and die. Hope is the only thing we have. Why do I care? I live in Canada, votes in Maine don't legally affect me. But Maine is part of the world, and so am I. And I... well, I care about other people. I want to go to Alex and Riese's wedding one day. It would be so simple.
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But you'll fight and you'll make it through
you'll fake it if you have to
and you'll show up for work with a smile.
And you'll be better,
and you'll be smarter,
and more grown up and a better daughter
or son and a real good friend.
You'll be awake, you'll be alert
you'll be positive though it hurts
and you'll laugh and embrace all your friends.
And you'll be a real good listener,
listen real,
you'll be honest, you'll be brave
you'll be handsome, you'll be beautiful.
You'll be happy.
- Rilo Kiley "A Better Son/Daughter"
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I speak the pass-word primeval, I give the sign of democracy,
By God! I will accept nothing which all cannot have their
counterpart of on the same terms.
- Walt Whitman "Song of Myself"
Imagine all the people, living life in peace.
5 comments:
my word verif is "monic," which is "manic" put to music, or maybe gayed.
that rilo kiley song eats my gut!
"At the end of the day, you gotta give 'em hope"
-Harvey Milk
It definitely sucked being gay today. Like, every loss feels so personal and heartbreaking.
a civil right should not be put on a public ballot. The majority should never vote on the rights of a minority group. Ugh. It's basic logic.
Like you I don't live in Maine so I'm not affected. I live in Washington and last I checked ref. 71 was ahead and gaining ground in the polls. That's amazingly awesome but I've been in a terribly bad mood all day due to the loss in Maine. A friend of mine is from Maine, she wanted to get married to her girlfriend there. It's crazy and mind blowing that people are so against equality.
Ok, I lost track of what I was trying to say. I'm so exhausted and upset and generally, for lack of better words, aaaagggghhhh.
I live a long way away from Maine and I still had tears and rage last night, which I expressed over the internet. Don't worry Emily, we will keep fighting until one day we will all be able to get married in a big gay group ceremony with rainbows and unicorns.
riese: the rilo kiley song also eats my gut. i listened to it in the morning and was like "this is what we're all doing today. showing up to work/school with a smile even though it hurts".
molly: yeah, it definitely feels personal. i want to cry a lot.
nikki: i also didn't even know what to say. at first you just want to yell at everyone but then you realize how futile it is. so i just quoted other people.
lucia: rainbows and unicorns!? that sounds like the best wedding ever!
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