So, I've got these two straight friends. Married. I worked with one of them before he ever even met his wife. I was thrilled when they moved in together (before they were married). Hell, I even helped him move. When they got married, I was there. Beautiful service - I got misty-eyed (because I'm a big mush). Ate their wedding cake, threw bird seed at them as they left the reception. The whole nine yards. I was
so happy for them.
Fast forward ten years. I e-mail them this morning about the lousy way that Texans - or rather 17.84% of Texans - voted on yesterday's Constitutional Amendment banning gay marriage "or anything similar or identical" to it. I asked them if they voted.
"Uh... we kind of lost track of time".
Nice.
After 11 eight-hour days of early voting and a regular 12 hour voting day (that's a 100 hour Voting Window!), they couldn't work it into their schedule.
And I'm stunned. I mean - what the hell?!
Is it even a battle if one side doesn't even show up to fight?
Are we just going to hand this state over to the crazed evangelicals who believe in their (dark) heart of hearts that their "Love Thy Neighbor" Jesus would really want them voting hate into their state's constitution? HWJHV? How Would Jesus Have Voted?
Sure, in the grand scheme of things, two votes wouldn't have changed the results of yesterday's Election O' Hate.
But does it occur to them that if everyone that voted AGAINST Proposition Two in yesterday's election had two friends - just like them - who decided that they, in fact, "could be bothered" to stand beside their gay friend (me!) - and if maybe each of those two had even one other person that they could get to go vote, the results might not have been 76.17% FOR and 23.83% AGAINST.
Now, I'm just hurt. I'm disappointed in my friends. And altogether disillusioned about how we're ever going to wrest control from the religious fanatics who run our local, state and federal governments.
Is "supportive" not a two-way street?
Kevin
Wake.Up.