We did this. You and I and millions of other Americans – Gay, straight, religious, atheists, black, white, Latino, men, women; all of us together – we did this.
We understood what was at stake, we went to the polls, and we made our stand for justice, equality and freedom for every American. I’m proud of every single one of us who simply refused to allow hatred, ignorance and discrimination to rule the day.
This Presidential election wasn’t just about electing a President. This election was also about letting politicians know that the times are indeed changing.
For good or for bad – there is a new United States of America coming into focus. This new America includes Latinos, the LGBTQ community, and young voters who appear to be a generation of kids who grew up not caring about color or gender and have little tolerance for any sort of discrimination.
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I was insistent before the election that you could no longer claim to be my friend if you supported a candidate who was against gay marriage. I was adamant in my belief that equality has to be for everyone or absolutely no one has freedom. You cannot pick and choose who has what freedom based on some religious notion.
I am still insistent on these things…
What I see now is that I am not alone on my insistence for equality.
The Republican Party is in shambles. It is filled with hate-filled racists and homophobes who have seemed to have lost their way in this new America.
Except for the South (with the exception of Florida) and the mid-west, Democrats stood up and said – enough. People stood in line for hours to cast their vote for women, for LGBTQ candidates for gay-marriage and for fellow Democrats, which in turn meant they were casting their vote for freedom and equality.
For me – and these are my personal feelings – this election was a victory over the religious right and their zealots in this country who felt they had the right and the power to make every American dance to their Biblical tune.
This was a victory over the Billy Grahams, the Pope, the National Organization for Marriage, and the Family Research Councils, who have made it their life’s work to impose their beliefs and their discriminatory ways on to all people.
Finally – what they say doesn’t seem to hold all that much power anymore. Finally, the people have had enough of the religious ranting of a few and voted for the religious freedom of us all.
I know that we in the LGBT community still have work to be done, but I also know that this election has made the path we walk light up a little bit brighter for us to see our way through to full equality.
We are no longer alone on this journey, we are no longer the “lesbians in the corner” and the “queers in the closet.” We are American citizens living in a new America – A brighter, more hopeful, more tolerant, more inclusive America.
As members of the LGBTQ community we must be proud that we stood our ground, we must be proud of speaking our truth, and we must be proud of what we have accomplished together in this presidential election.
Never settle for anything less than what you deserve – and what you deserve is what every American deserves – total equality which equals your freedom guaranteed to you by the Bill of Rights.
Now – go dance…
President Obama and a little victory dance for the LGBT community…