I have been lurking around this site almost on an hourly basis for more than a month now and have decided to share with all my discovery of Dean and the reasons I support him. Let me tell you though, I am feeling like the day I came out of the closet more than 10 years ago, so be gentle with me.
My partner and I decided to go on a vacation to Vermont and Canada about four years ago while we were still living in the DC Metro area. We had rented a lovely cabin in the mountains not that far from Burlington from a woman who went by the name of Crow. In addition to taking in the breath-taking scenery of the countryside, we noticed signs all over the place reading "Take Back Vermont", "Take Vermont Forward", and "Vote Ruth off the Island". As both my partner and I have inquisitive minds, we decided to ask around about the meaning of these signs. To our surprise, we realized what they meant not only to us as a gay couple but also to the nation as a whole. Our first two thoughts were: "Vermont or bust!" and "That Dean guy should run for president!"
During the following election, we not only closely watched the returns coming in for our local area, but also the Vermont "gay referendum" as we called it. We were pleased to see Dean win again, even as we began the journey with Gore that would end in his eventual defeat at the hands of the Republican Party. I still remember quite vividly that evening when Judy and the Gang called Florida for Gore for the first time. My partner, my sister, and I started jumping around the living room like we were at Rave concert. When Gore finally conceded the race, we all thought to ourselves, how much damage can one man do? Well, the question has been answered.
Since then, we have had to deal with national tragedies, international debacles, and even personal problems. Right before 911, we decided to pack up our lives and move to the Catskills of New York. Our decision was confirmed in our minds as correct, once the events of 911 occurred. Living in the Catskills proved to be no easy task, though, once we both lost our high-paying DC jobs due to lay-offs and found ourselves depending on the local economy. I eventually found employment as a German teacher in one of the local schools, but that did not last. In many ways, the locals are not ready for an openly gay liberal teacher. The situation was horrible and I have vowed never to teach in public school again. Maybe in a couple of years I will get over the experience, maybe not. My partner eventually found the job of dreams in the Catskills, but I have had to find work on Long Island.
I support Howard Dean for President, because he stands for that which I hold true. I believe that we can have a world that is not based on discrimination in any form and that is not beholden to corporate interests. A world in which anyone with the passion and the knowledge of German can teach in the Catskills regardless of his or her sexual orientation. A world in which human consciousness expands beyond a few weeks or even years. A world in which I can love whomever I want while at the same time be recognized by the state in that relationship. Am I naïve and idealistic? You bet, but what is the alternative?
I have been reading a lot here lately about movements being started by this election cycle, and I have to agree. Whether it is caused by the Theory of 72 or just because we are all so pissed off with being led like lambs to the slaughter, the time has come to change things for the betterment of all in our increasingly small global community. I truly believe that Howard Dean has captured this feeling that we all share here at Kos, and regardless of whether we win this election via Dean, Clark or Lieberman (Yikes!), the movement has started, and we are going to go places.
Thanks so much for giving me a place to share my thoughts and to learn from others much more politically savvy and not as "compositionally" challenged as I.