Thinking about the President and the pedestal we put him on

I am writing this in response to a fellow poster and friend, Michelle's, recent post. Please read her post first. It will help you understand this one.

You are not alone with this feeling. I have been thinking about this too. I put a lot of faith in Clinton when he was elected b/c he promised to help the GLBT community. We all saw what happened there. I, too, feel that we have put Obama up on this pedestal, that if he doesn't come through, the country will kick him off so fast. I feel our country has come to expect things to be fixed quickly. Instant gratification and if we are not happy with something then let's give up on it and pick something new. I, too, am jaded. I guess I have been ever since California allowed Prop 8 to be put up for a popular vote. I hope that Obama can do what he says. What I truly hope, though, is that the American people do their part as well. One person cannot do it all. It takes the entire country. We as the gay community know this more than anything right now. We may not have done enough for Prop 8. If you want your rights, your ideas, your needs met, you need to get up off the couch, get away from the computer, the TV and do something. Give your time, write your government officials, make a donation, march in the streets and give back. Good luck to you and good luck to our new President.

Thanks Michelle for the fodder for my post.

I Hope Part 2

"We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."

Okay, he didn't say gay or LGBT but, he did say equal and he did say all and he did say all deserve. It's a start. I have a little bit more hope than a few hours ago. I watched the inauguration at my work with some fellow co-workers. It was interesting to me that I didn't have that awe feeling that everyone seems to be having. One person cannot make things better for us. We have to do our part. He said this as well.

"In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom."

I plan on working hard to get my voice heard and get equality for all. I remember when I spoke with State Senator Roy McDonald and he accused me of being a one item voter. He said other people need help too, like the disabled. I responded to him that "the disabled can marry." Now, when I talk with him again, I am going to say, "when I, and my fellow LGBT brothers and sisters, are equal citizens and have equal rights, then I will work toward helping others." It is that important to me.

I also did something today that will not be remembered by anyone but me and probably didn't matter in the big scheme of things but, I did it anyway. I turned my back to the television when Rick Warren spoke. I know, he didn't see me but, it felt like the right thing to do. I am not sure if people in DC did this. I think they were going to as a protest to Rick speaking.

So, that's it for now on the update. Click to read and view President Obama's Inauguration speech.

I Hope.

At exactly noon today, Bush will no longer be our president and Obama will. Yeah, our time has come, hopefully. I hate to sound cynical, but haven't we been here before. Promises, catering to our demands to garnish our votes (damn, now I am hungry), only to be let down (Clinton, Don't ask, don't tell and DOMA.) I want to be optimistic, I want to feel like we now have a chance but, I can't. The passage of Prop 8 kind of took away a lot of my optimism. My parents deciding, like those who voted yes on 8, to not support my marriage, took away a lot of my optimism. I will wait and see if he makes good on his promise to get rid of don't ask, don't tell and DOMA. I will also wait and see if the state senators that the LGBT constituents helped get elected stand good on their promises as well. Although, I am trying to make a difference there by lobbying my State Senator, Roy McDonald on Marriage Equality Day (sign up to participate.) I know that I sound like a one issue person, and maybe I am. I am sorry, but this one issue is important to me. It is my life. Things other people take for granted we have to fight for. I know it is worse for others in other places. I know that is much braver for someone in Iraq, for instance, to be out. But, we are the United States of America. We are supposed to be the land of equality, the land of the free. We are supposed to be ahead of the curve. So I want to hope, I want to dream, I want to ride this new positive wave that everyone is on, but, it is a difficult one for me. I am going to watch the inauguration and maybe I can get inspired. I hope so.

Here is a list of my hopes for the next four years:
I hope that my marriage holds up in California.
I hope the CA Supreme Court invalidates Prop 8.
I hope the CA legislatures then pass marriage equality once and for all.
I hope NYS follows suit and passes a marriage equality bill, as well.
I hope that President Obama gets rid of don't ask and DOMA
I hope that President Obama starts talks about equalizing rights for gay americans.
I hope that I get all 1,324 NYS rights afforded to married couples.
I hope that I get all 1,138 federal rights afforded to married couples.
I hope my parents finally see me as a whole person and support my marriage.

Feel free to comment and leave your messages of hope. Here's to Obama and goodbye Bush.

Random Thoughts

Leah said my blog was at the bottom of her side blog list so I decided to write and get back up to the top. Let's see, what has been going on. Well, Christmas is over, New Year's has come and gone and tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day. Oh yeah, Obama gets inaugurated on Tuesday. Yeah, Bush is done. Now let's hope that Obama stands by his promises and passes some much needed LGBT legislation.

On Tues, Febuary 3rd I will be heading to our state capital to talk with legislators regarding Marriage Equality. Yup, you heard right. I have decided that I cannot sit back and let others do the work for me. If I want my marriage to remain legal and for my friends to be able to stay married I need to do something. I am joining MENY in Albany to lobby our state Senators. Unfortunately, my State Senator is Roy McDonald. Extremely conservative and someone I have talked with before. Wish me luck.

I will leave you with some wedding pics because Leah and I just got our disc with all our wedding photos on it. Enjoy.


Leah loved this pic but it got vetoed out of the wedding book. We were only able to get 50 pics. It was real tough picking out only 50. Our photograper, Ryan Jones, was amazing.


I love the colors in this picture. The blue background, the brown grass, Leah's white dress and my green shirt. Love it!

I love this picture. It looks like it could be a photo for an ad for the red dress. I loved all the colors from our wedding.

That's it for now. Shout out to Irongirl if you happen to read this.