Seeing red

You gotta love dog people.

The last couple of days have been an eye opener.  The Supremes are hearing two cases that are at least tangentially related to gay marriage.  Neither case really presents directly the issue of whether or not states must allow same sex marriage, but one represents a challenge to a law banning it in California and another challenges a federal law that prohibits the federal government from recognizing it even if it's allowed in certain states. 



The real reason the GOP
wants to axe Sesame Street

As a lawyer, I don't expect great things from the Supreme Court.  It's rare that the court makes a true landmark ruling, and we are still at least one vote short to really make that happen.  Moreover, even if the side of truth, justice, and the American way prevails in these two cases, the struggle for equality isn't over.  It's never over.


As an almost middle aged gay man, I didn't think that marriage was the issue that our community should embrace and advance.  This is going to make me sound like an asshole, so be it, but I never really thought we were equal to straight people, I thought we were better, or at least could be.  I also thought that marriage is a rather archaic form of property ownership more than anything else and I never really felt the need to emulate heterosexual mating rituals.  But I was wrong about some of that at least.  For younger people in the gay community, marriage was and is the rallying point.  There's a reason that young people always lead social movements and old farts should remember that.


It's tough for me to remember
that not all christians are evil.

 

Wedding rings,
very creative

My thoughts on marriage and equality aside, what has amazed me these last two days is the level of support demonstrated by straight allies on Facebook and elsewhere.  I've been blown away by the number of people who have changed their profile picture and/or shared or liked pics of the red equality symbol.  I would never ask anyone to do that, and I don't consider it a litmus test of friendship or loyalty to do so.  Everyone has their own way of demonstrating support, some privately, some publicly, and for some this just isn't "their issue."  And that's ok.  I had never changed my Facebook profile photo after finding one that I liked and I wasn't even sure how to go about doing so now.  I don't post things in my status line to show support for various causes either, so I certainly don't fault anyone for not doing so on this issue, but I have been amazed by the number of people who have done so on their own accord.



Dog bless Beyonce

I have a self-selected group of Facebook friends, of course (bigots need not apply--nor those that vote for them), and I realize that they don't accurately reflect public opinion (yet), but even so, the sea of red that I'm encountering is astounding, heartwarming, and gratifying.   That, along with polls showing the huge difference of opinion among age groups, actually gives me hope.