This is no stock photo! It's my daughter and daughter-in-law who were married at City Hall, San Francisco in October of 2008, during that small window before Prop 8 passed. Their marriage is considered legal because of its timing, their marriage is considered legal in California but the ruling today can only strengthen their union. This is such a victory for California's LGBTQ community and a step-forward toward a national awareness of this issue as being unconstitutional; not just in California but in all fifty states. A small step, but a victory, none-the-less!
I agree with Joe Solmonese of Human Rights Campaign, that Barack Obama's choice of Rick Warren to give the invocation at the presidential inauguration, is insensitive and insulting to the GLBT community. In affect, insulting to any of us who support inclusion and equal rights for all Americans.
Rick Warren, a right-wing religious fundamentalist has attacked GLBT people, putting their sexuality in the same category as pedophilia and incest. Further, "non-believers" have been attacked by Warren as having no place in public office. Does he also mean unless they worship a Christian god?
When Obama strives to "reach across the isle" to include many points of view, I wish that he would do so with a little more tact. If Warren was on record as having made racist comments about blacks or Asians, he certainly would have been disqualified from taking on this role. As one pundit on MSNBC stated earlier this evening, gays and "non-believers" are still fair game for attack.
That a President-elect would overlook this homophobia and divisiveness at a time when we need him to bring us together is truly disappointing. It reinforces for me that while Obama is willing to say he supports GLBT rights, he is not really committed to this issue. It's a reflection too of the many Obama supporters who voted for Prop 8 and the evident lack of regard Obama is showing for the many gay Americans who voted for him, in hopes that he would embrace their community as part of his over-all desire for unity.
Further, I don't understand why the separation of church and state doesn't apply to this religious invocation ritual to begin with. If Obama wants a blessing for his presidency he should do it in the privacy of his church. Since his decision to invite Warren to proceed appears largely to be a political move, it lends an especially phony and hallow tone to the whole inauguration.
The Cunning Runt with his impressive scope (Check his post and photos of this event)
Brown vs. Board, 1954 I love the look on this young woman's face.
Post-rally dinner at "the Thai place"
The girls were featured in an article in a local paper. I'd rather not link to it here but if you're a regular Bloggie here and you're interested in reading it, let me know.
This is the preeminent civil rights struggle of our times. I think that one day, people who stand silent now on this issue will regret not having spoken up.
I did find it interesting that Olbermann stated that he can't think of "even a collegue" who was affected by this issue. Rachel Maddow is gay. Not to take away from what Keith has so passionately stated; just sayin'.
"When the Amherst sphinx styled herself a pagan, she meant she didn’t believe in the biblical God. What sort of deity, if any, she did believe in is hard to pinpoint." -- Gary Sloan, "Emily Dickinson: Pagan Sphinx,"
I believe that the images and writing posted here fall under the "fair use" section of the U.S. copyright law http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#107, as they are intended for educational purposes and are not in a medium that is of commercial nature.
