Today is the final installment for Boston Globe's beautiful series on the Hyett family. I'm a sucker for some of this Real People pap to begin with (sometimes I still thumb through the People magazine and sniffle over the latest 80-year old who scrimped and saved so that she could send her 10 grandkids to college), but this is such a simple and tremendously moving documentation of the "ordinary" American family. There are so many little moments that really jab at you throughout, like Eric keeping his mouth locked tighly shut when his partner Josh's father, who considers his son "married" no matter what legal papers say, says that he is still voting for George Bush, or the moment when Brian says that he thinks his brother would choose to be straight if he had that choice, because of all the hurt gays suffer, and Eric says that's absolutely not true, that he wished more people spoke about the "joys" in being gay instead of the pain.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/08/18/trepidation_resolve_and_reconciliation/
Interesting that the final day of this series was unveiled on the same day that gay activists in MA seem to have hit a bump in their efforts to overthrow the 1913 law.
http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/08/081804massRuling.htm
And finally, it really concerns me how rarely we hear about the upcoming legislative races in Massachusetts. Maybe because today's a day after the 3rd month anniversary of May 17, but it's been on my mind more than ever. Mitt Romney has thrown bigots many millions of dollars in his quest to get enough Thug seats to erase the veto-proof majority and to pass his precious anti-marriage amendment. So many in MA are working to try to elect fair-minded legislators who will vote against an amendment, and also are trying to save targeted and battered incumbents like Brian Joyce and Kathleen Teahan who voted against the amendment even though they knew of the backlash ahead.
MassEquality is having a match-the-funds challenge, trying to raise $100K by August 31. They could really use some help, if you have the chance.
http://www.massequality.com
And http://www.victoryfund.org has one or two of the gay candidates who are running for the state legislature (I don't know of their chances).
Please don't forget about Massachusetts if you have any extra money to toss around. These elections are crucial to any chance of equality in an increasingly hostile and bigoted nation. If legislators who supported tolerance and fairness are kicked in the teeth come November 2, the reverbations will rumble throughout every single state in America.