My first diary, and an unfortunate one, at that.
Reuters brings the disappointment just over an hour ago.
After passing the assembly, three times, the Democratic controlled Senate voted against legalizing gay marriage by a vote of 38 to 24.
Another punch in the gut to me and my brothers and sisters.
Another punch in the gut to all of us who believe in equality.
Unfortunately, there's more...
I'm angry, confused and lost.
How could New York, which is considered one of the most liberal states in the U.S., vote against granting marriage equality? With several Democratic Senators voting against the bill, it begs the question:
What the hell happened to the Democratic Party?
Though I'm not from New York, my family, like so many others, landed at Ellis Island in search of the American dream. Half of my family went south, to Philadelphia, while the other half spread out between Brooklyn, Queens and parts of Northern New Jersey. I've always had family in New York, and considered it a strong part of my heritage. The news today hurts.
Gay rights activists are now focusing on New Jersey where there is a small window of opportunity with Governor Corzine still in office. Governor Corzine said he would sign a gay marriage bill if it lands on his desk, and the "Fierce Urgency of Now" couldn't be more apropos. Governor-elect Christie has repeatedly vowed to veto any such legislation.
For those of you who might not understand the toll this takes, please let me tell you a bit about my personal story.
As many of you already know (because I've commented about it incessantly), my boyfriend is a German born foreign national. We met a year ago while he was in the U.S. on a one year volunteer visa working with mentally disabled adults. We met in Miami, and fell in love almost immediately. From minute one I knew the difficulties we would be facing, but still, I went forward with my love...holding nothing back, I figured we'd deal with it later. Well, later is now. Since returning home in June, our relationship has suffered severely, all because my country doesn't grant me the right to marry the one I love. If "A" were a girl, we would have options...we could be a bi-national couple for a while, then if things progressed and our love deepened, we could make that vow; we could marry. We would have options.
Instead, our lives are ripped apart because we realize the likelihood of actually being together is slim. Our hearts are breaking. My depression is deep, and often I wish I wouldn't wake up. Where I once felt like a vibrant and productive part of society, I now feel useless, helpless and angry. Being unemployed only makes it worse.
With so many of our friends and neighbors in dire need of health care, and so many struggling to find meaningful work, I have to ask myself: what has become of our country?
As if New York's punch wasn't enough, comes the horrific news that Uganda is set to pass its anti-gay legislation.
We all know the affiliation of some of our elected officials with The Family. In this video, Rachel Maddow interviews Jeff Sharlet who shines the awful light on the connection between The Family, and Uganda. If you haven't seen this, please watch:
What can we do to stop this?
Please...someone...anyone...
I sit here in absolute disbelief.
As I mentioned, this is my first diary, so please feel free to offer any suggestions. If I did anything wrong or violated any kind of rule, please let me know.