I remember the pain that many of you felt after Proposition 8 passed in California which took rights away from enjoying the full benefits of marriage, and I now share in your collective pain over the failure of the No On 1 campaign in Maine. I know the organizers behind that campaign worked incredibly hard to turn out the voters against that proposition, and my heart and thanks go out to them. It's not easy being an organizer behind a cause that you believe in deeply, where you face fierce opposition on a daily basis, but all that is made easier by knowing you have the support of a dedicated activist base that won't give up.
Hear me on this--we won't give up on gay marriage! We won't give up until we get DADT and DOMA repealed! We won't give up until every gay couple has the right to marry, and to have their children entitled to the legal benefits of a marriage bestowed upon them by the state and the federal government.
I won't give up on supporting my gay brothers and sisters in this fight. I remember learning about gay people for the first time in high school. I was shocked, and then that shock passed away into acceptance. That gay kid in high school wasn't someone to fear. He was funny, made us laugh, and he was all heart and soul to us. He's now off in another state, in a committed relationship, and he donated and supported the No On 1 campaign in Maine after seeing what happened in California. I know he's hurting right now.
I want what my husband and I enjoy to be extended to gay couples. They have every right to marry who they love, and they shouldn't be discriminated against on that basis. It's wrong to pass referendums on rights that people are entitled to, and no minority should take away the civil rights of a majority by a state referendum. It's one of the many reasons why I'm against the opt-out on the public option, as it might be based on a state referendum or the state executive branch that would take away the civil rights of those to the health care they want.
No one should have their rights taken away in this manner. It's why I will continue to support my gay allies in their fight for gay marriage and legal benefits, and the right not to be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientiation. As a deaf woman, I know what it's like to be discriminated against on the basis of my deafness when it comes to employment. I'll never forget that potential employer here in Texas who asked me how I'd cope in a fast-paced environment with my deafness, and she said she didn't think I was up to the job because of my deafness. It hurt to be discriminated against like that, and I can only imagine that it's barely a fraction of what my gay brothers and sisters face when they decide whether it's okay to be "out" in the workplace.
I say to my gay friends--DON'T GIVE UP on the rights to your marriage and your union with those that you love! I'm not giving up on that, just as I'm not giving up on the fight for the public option as a part of the POP campaign with nyceve.
I'm with you guys, and I love, respect, and thank you all.