(I realize you were all expecting Part Two of yesterday’s post today. Sometimes, as the man said, life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans. And life happened yesterday and demanded I blog about it. Expect Part Two of the stats post…Friday. Maybe. Or Saturday. I don’t know. I have to go to Massachusetts tonight to watch a musical based on a Marx Brothers movie. Don’t ask.)
Yesterday, the Supreme Court met to vote on the constitutionality of two things: Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (known as DOMA) and Prop 8. If you’re on the internet at all ever, I’m sure you’ve seen people having changed their profile pictures on Twitter and Facebook to this:
“ARGH HOW WILL I KNOW WHO ANYONE IS?” you might have thought, if you had no idea what was going on. “WHY ARE ALL MY FRIENDS RED BOXES WITH PINK LINES?”
To show their support for marriage equality and the unconstitutionality of DOMA. Also, seriously, try being a theater person. I haven’t known who was posting what on Facebook for MONTHS. Everyone was a red box with pink lines. I’d be all, “Did Patrick post that or was it Dan? SOMEONE STRIKE EFFING DOMA DOWN ALREADY I MISS EVERYONE’S FACES!”
In case you’ve been hiding your head in the sand all ostrich-style for a while, here’s a quick DOMA/Prop 8 primer.
DOMA:
- Allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states
- Bars same-sex couples from receiving federal marriage benefits
Prop 8:
- States that “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California” (which overturned the California Supreme Court’s ruling that same-sex couples had the right to marry.)
To break these into terms you might understand if you are a homophobe:
DOMA, were it against everyone, and not just segregating the same-sex couples in a totally unconstitutional way, not to tip my hand about how I feel about it or anything (coughdirtyliberalcough) would say if you married your husband/wife in New York, you wouldn’t be recognized as a married couple in Mississippi. It would also state that if you married someone from England, he/she would have to return to England once their visa expired, and if you were dying, your husband/wife couldn’t make any decisions about your care, and if you were killed in a terrifying tractor accident, your husband/wife wouldn’t get your Social Security benefits.
Prop 8, were IT against everyone, just says you can’t get married in California.
Aren’t we lucky these aren’t against everyone, and just against those pesky gays.
Anyway, enter Edith Windsor.
Edith Windsor married the love of her life – a woman she’d been in a forty-year relationship with, Thea Spyer, in Canada in 2007. They lived in New York. New York (holla!) recognized their marriage as valid. When Thea died, and left her estate to Windsor, the estate tax was $363,053. Now, were they an opposite-sex couple, the estate tax would have been waived. But they weren’t. They were a same-sex couple. And, well, DOMA.
Windsor paid the tax. And promptly turned around and sued the Federal government for a refund.
Listen. The love of her life – FORTY FUCKING YEARS – had just died. And now the Federal government was telling her that their marriage didn’t count. Did she roll over and pay the money and weep about how unfair it all was?
Fuck that. FUCK THAT. She sued the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
And you guys?
Yesterday she won.
And they say there aren’t any more heroes.
The Supreme Court of the United States said that Section 3 of DOMA – the second bullet point up there – was unconstitutional. And from what I’m reading, it’s apparently only a matter of time before Section 2 (the first bullet point) goes bye-bye, too. (Oddly, Section One is just “This is called DOMA.” I’m not even kidding. We’ll let ’em have that section, if they want it.)
What does this mean?
Well, if you’re a same-sex couple married in one of the thirteen states that currently allow same-sex marriage (WHAT? THIRTEEN? BUT WHEN I WOKE UP YESTERDAY THERE WERE TWELVE! Yeah, wait a minute, slappy) you get the same benefits as a opposite-sex couple. You can pay taxes together, you can make healthcare decisions, you can have insurance together, you can stay in the country if you are an expatriate or an immigrant who married someone who lives here…same rules apply.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE OPPOSITE-SEX COUPLES OMG FIRE! OMG BRIMSTONE!
It means nothing changes. It means life goes on. It means you wake up tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow and you get to instill the same homophobic bullshit into your kids’ malleable little brains as you always have.
No one’s making you marry someone of the same sex as you.
Let me put it simply, in case I’m being too verbiose:
FOR YOU, LIFE GOES ON AS IT ALWAYS HAS, YOU SMALL-MINDED PIECE OF HOMOPHOBIC SHIT.
Now, let’s talk about Prop 8. See, Prop 8’s a pain in the ass because for a brief period of time, same-sex couples were allowed to marry in California, until people got all “WHAT OMG NO!” and Prop 8ed them and then they couldn’t get married anymore.
Right after voting Section 3 of DOMA unconstitutional, the Supreme Court of Merka voted Prop 8 unconstitutional as well.
Yesterday was the worst day ever to be a homophobe, you guys. If they weren’t such small-minded crapmonsters I’d almost feel sorry for them.
Californians of the same sex can feel free to marry again as soon as various little legalities are ironed out.
That means we’re up to 13 states that allow same-sex marriage here in America. Well, 13 and Washington D.C., so 13.0005 or whatever we call D.C., I suppose.
You are all aware that’s both awesome and terrible, right? Because that’s 26% of Merka. 26% more than we had when we started, but ONLY 26%.
Now, listen. I know what you homophobes are thinking. You got home yesterday. You kicked at your pets and you poured yourself some sort of stiff double beverage and you started saying the following to whoever would listen:
- “The Bible says this is AGAINST GOD’S WILL!”
- “Those damn gays! Who do they think they are? They don’t deserve any more rights than the rest of us!”
- “Once gays marry, who’s next? Turtles?”
- “Kids raised by the gays are more likely to become gay themselves!”
- “The gay agenda is taking over Merka and I DO NOT LIKE IT!”
I am here to help, homophobes. Luckily, I grew up among you. I dated some of your ranks. I am related to some of you. I KNOW YOUR PEOPLE. I speak your LANGUAGE. I can HELP.
Let’s break this down, one by one.
“The Bible says this is AGAINST GOD’S WILL!”
Yes. The Bible says a lot of things. The Bible also says don’t eat lobster and don’t wear clothes that mix fabric types and to stone whores and, here’s the kicker, and I know this one’s going to shock you…treat others as you, yourself, would be treated.
That’s the one people tend to forget.
Would you want people screaming your marriage is against God’s will? Would you want people telling you you’re an abomination? Would you want people telling you your marriage is invalid?
Nope. Didn’t think so.
“Those damn gays! Who do they think they are? They don’t deserve any more rights than the rest of us!”
I totally agree with this one. Who DO they think they are? They DON’T deserve any more rights than the rest of us! Oh. Shit. Wait. That would mean…the right to marry whoever they loved…and get the same benefits as opposite-sex couples…and not get beaten up on the streets just for holding hands…and not get called names…and “faggot” wouldn’t be something you call a kid in school if he was feminine as the ultimate put-down…
Crap. Where would we STOP once we gave them the rights that the rest of us had? This IS a slippery slope.
“Once gays marry, who’s next? Turtles?”
I think we’ve talked about this a few times because Bill O’Reilly said on Fox News once that if same-sex marriage became a thing, then people would start marrying turtles.
That’s just absurd. Everyone knows turtles look awful in veils. Now FROGS, on the other hand…
(No one’s marrying a turtle. Or a goat. Or a frog. Listen, let’s liken this to when interracial marriage was banned, then allowed. Did people start marrying wildlife? No. They didn’t. So I highly doubt anyone’s going to wake up today all, “Part of DOMA got declared unconstitutional? I’m marrying the bear at the Country Bear Jamboree today, then, dammit!”)
Well, he COULD provide the musical entertainment at your wedding. That is a consideration.
“Kids raised by the gays are more likely to become gay themselves!”
I can answer this one without research. I know, right? It’s amazing how cool I am.
Children raised by same-sex parents are not more likely to be gay or lesbian. And do you know why?
Because being gay or lesbian (or trans, or bi, or what have you) ARE NOT CHOICES.
They are they way people are born. It’s hard-wired into your brain. Asking this question is like asking, “Are the children of same-sex couples more likely to be left-handed?” or “Are the children of same-sex couples more likely to be blondes?”
It’s the way you’re born. A gay child is just as likely to be born to a gay couple as a straight couple. End of argument.
“The gay agenda is taking over Merka and I DO NOT LIKE IT!”
OMG SPARKLES AND RAINBOWS THE GAY AGENDA!
You’re totally right, though. I’m going to tell you a secret that the gays don’t want me to tell you. See, I have many friends amongst the gays, and they entrust me with their secrets – and I am sharing one with you now. This may well get me kicked out of their special people club.
THE GAY AGENDA *IS* ATTEMPTING TO TAKE OVER MERKA.
And guess what it is?
Equal rights for everyone in the LGBTQIA community.
Full stop. End of sentence.
Equal fucking rights.
The right to marry the person they love. The right to have all the accompanying benefits that come with marriage. The right to be safe in their environment. The right to be accepted. The right to be seen as an equal member of the human fucking race.
Yes. The gay agenda. Look out, homophobes. It’s coming to YOUR TOWN.
And it’s deliciously accessorized. Possibly with a feather boa, or perhaps a pair of kickass motorcycle boots.
(Congratulations to everyone affected by the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Section Three of DOMA and find Prop 8 unconstitutional yesterday. Selfishly, a SPECIAL congratulations to my most-beloved gay and lesbian friends, married or not, who are now one step closer to being a citizen with full rights in the country they were born and live in. Thank you, SCOTUS, for doing the right thing; in a country where you never quite seem to know if the government is for or against you, you did the right thing not once, but twice today. And yes, I spent pretty much the entire day yesterday reading my Facebook feed and various news outlets and weeping in joy. We got it right. For once, we got it right.)
June 27th, 2013 at 12:03 pm
What?! How is this more important than “Kind-of-Sort-of-Ask-Lucy”?!?!?!
Oh, wait… it totally is… carry on.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 12:43 am
Hee! That’ll probably be Saturday. It’s 12:45am and I still have to write a review of the show I saw last night. And reply to various emails I’ve been neglecting. I don’t think blogging’s going to happen.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 12:16 pm
Shut your mouth. This is golden. Ace. AWESOME :)
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 12:43 am
THANK YOU! Aw, that’s awesome. I’m grinning. :)
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 12:21 pm
Fantastically put.
BTW Gay marriage has not destroyed Canada or Spain, so I think that that 26% of Merka is going to be just fine. And I do mean FINE. Huzzah!
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 12:42 am
Thank you! Let’s hope that the rest of Merka follows their lead. YOU CAN DO IT, REST OF MERKA!
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 8:03 am
You so can! One day there’ll be a gay president (voted in AFTER he/she comes out).
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 10:16 am
If I live to see that, I’ll be so happy. Probably in my 90s in the nursing home so when I get up to do a little victory dance I’ll break my hip, but still, so happy.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 10:55 am
I dread to think of what that generation’s “birthers” will be claiming then. But yes, I’ll stand up and cheer too. It’ll be long overdue.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 12:24 pm
Just to clarify: The Supreme Court didn’t say Prop 8 was unconstitutional. They said they had no standing in the matter, which means that the state court’s ruling stands which was that Prop 8 was unconstitutional according to the constitution of the State of California, a decision made on August 4, 2010. (Thank you Judge Vaughn Walker.) The pro-Prop 8ers took it to the Supreme Court. Who basically said, um, not ours.
If they had proclaimed it unconstitutional according the the Constitution of Merika (the biggest hope but acknowledged to be highly unlikely), it would have had country-wide implications about having gay marriage everywhere. Rather than only California.
Thank you for this glorious post. I love love love it, as you knew I would.
(And this is what happened to me yesterday. I put up a post I’d worked hard on, then the Supreme Court happened and screw it! Another post!)
Seriously. Gold stars on the top of your paper.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 12:41 am
I KNEW I was going to get something wrong. The legalese was so confusing to me. THANK YOU!!!
And I’m so glad you liked it! I thought of you a lot yesterday. I was cheering for you in my head. :)
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 11:34 am
I am so totally touched that you thought of me! That is so freaking nice. Thank you!
And Prop 8 had an even more complicated journey than even I made it. But comments section.
I really did love this post.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 11:48 am
Of course I did! All of my friends crossed my mind that day. Which made me weepier. Because all I could think of was, “One step closer to my loved ones being citizens with full rights.” And then, weeping. (I’ve been crying a lot the past couple of weeks. Happy tears, though. Wendy Davis? Good grief. That woman’s bravery had me BAWLING.)
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 11:52 am
I swear to you I keep thinking of Wendy for President. I think she should run for Governor first because the Governor they have right now is trying to pull some shady stuff. And then, the White House! (Of course, I need to know a little more about her. But what I know right now I LOVE!) I stayed up all night watching the Twitter feeds on that and then woke up really early the next morning all grumbly and then I was like, oh wait, Supreme Court! And back to Twitter I went. Ha!
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 2:39 pm
I admire anyone who has that kind of bravery, that kind of steel in their spine. She knew it was wrong. She knew it was going to be hard. And dammit, she put on her pink running shoes and she filibustered anyway. And they told her she couldn’t lean. So she stood straight and tall. And dammit, I’m tearing up again.
I am so, so proud of her. I am proud that we have women like her in government. I am just so proud there are still people LIKE her.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 11:53 am
And seriously, if I ever do find the woman of my dreams, you are so invited to the wedding.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 2:37 pm
I WILL BE THERE! I went to my friend N’s wedding to his wonderful husband J a few years ago and I BAWLED. It was so beautiful. (And this was before it was even legal here – they’d gone to MA for the legal part, and this was the commitment ceremony for friends and family who couldn’t make the trip.)
Guess what, homophobes? You cry just as much at same-sex weddings as at opposite-sex weddings. Guess why? Because there’s just as much love and faith and optimism in the room. I KNOW! It’s totally shocking news.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 12:45 pm
I officially love you, sister. Thank you so much for: your abundant wit, fierce intelligence, incredible energy, and this awesome post. You rock. You are completely bad-ass. You impress the hell out of me. (And, I ride a big-ass Harley, so that is saying something. LOL!) But, seriously, this is awesome. Thank you so much for piping in and deftly slaying ignorance where it stands. We need more of this in the world. We need more you. Keep it comin’. :)
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 12:39 am
Thank you so much! Oh, this just made me glow. THANK YOU.
I’ll keep it coming. If I didn’t, I’d probably explode. There’s a lot of words in there and they need to get out SOMEHOW.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 12:49 pm
Yup yup yup. Banning marriages because people are the same sex is like banning two blue-eyed people from marrying each other. What the fuck? These asswipes who think they’re following the teachings of Jesus with this homophobic bullshit are hateful, evil creatures.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 12:38 am
Totally agreed. I grew up in homophobia USA. (And promptly moved away the minute I could.) But I go home sometimes, and these are the people I’m surrounded with. And no arguments, nothing I say, NOTHING, dissuades them. No matter how rational. It boggles the mind.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 1:06 pm
Love. That’s it. Love.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 12:36 am
Thank you!
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 2:00 pm
I congratulated one of my gay friends at the deli today. At first, it didn’t register (the message was ciphered a bit), but he quickly picked up on it. His eyes sparkled and gave me a broad smile saying, “things are going to get real interesting now.”
The Supreme Court ruling satisfies me. I’m not gay, but am socially liberal. For the life of me, this whole decades long episode was a dog and pony show for lawmakers. My overarching thought is marriage is not within the control of governing bodies. The recognition of marriage by “authorities” is simply another attempt at controlling humans. Document it. File it away, and that’s it. If I wanted to marry a toaster, then Sunbeam and I are going to Vegas! Better yet, it won’t file for Federal aid. She’s a real tough cookie, that Sunbeam.
The only topic I’m not convinced about is being born a certain orientation. I’m of the opinion there is a lot of developmental time in a child’s life that allows for the acquisition of preference. What’s great about that “concern” is there’s a superior argument that runs above the nature versus nurture hurly-burly. It’s called “that’s none of your business.” Whether or not someone is born or raised to be a certain sexual orientation is moot to the fact that people will have to respect the life and liberty of others. So what, if one day I discovered I had homosexual feelings? What business is it of the Catholic across the street? It is none. There has to be a point when dealing with the rules of governance to say, “look, this is pointless. Knock it off!”
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 12:35 am
I like that it was ciphered. “Psst…the flamingo celebrates at dawn.”
Don’t marry a toaster. I’m predicting you’ll get burned. Heh.
I will agree to disagree with you on the nature vs. nurture of hetero/homosexuality. I don’t believe there’s any point in anyone’s life where they choose their sexual orientation. I think you, me, or anyone reading this can think back to when we first started feeling those oh-so-special feelings and we can say, “hmm. I didn’t choose to feel them about men, or women. I just kind of naturally did.” Bisexuals feel them for both sexes. I believe this is the way it is; I’ve had many discussions with people and read a lot of literature that backs me up on that.
But, like I said. You phrased it respectfully, and I’m not arguing. I’m just agreeing to disagree with you on it.
And yes. I totally agree with you on the fact that it’s no one’s business. However, the government seems hell-bent on MAKING it their business. For a body that wants to shut it down as much as they can, they sure do seem to spend a hell of a lot of time thinking about it, don’t they?
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 2:52 am
Ok, I’m butting in.
There’s been extensive research made in this field for at least a century, and although real progress has only been made in last few decades, it’s now more or less agreed upon that human beings are indeed born with a particular sexual orientation. The early childhood is not believed to have any influence on the matter.
So no, it’s not a choice. Not that Corvidae implied that it would have been. Even if homosexuality would have been the result of nurture and not nature (how I hate those terms, by the way), it would still not have been a choice for the child, surely?
But, as you both concluded, it’s really no one’s business. So let’s just leave it at that, and rejoice in the fact that this has now been recognised by law (in more progressive states of your country, anyway).
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 10:29 am
Thank you for your science. I should have asked you to begin with. I have a Science Fellow, why don’t I think of such things?
(I think it’s because you went from “my Science Fellow” to “one of my closest friends” back in, say, November or December of last year, and now I think of you as the latter more so than the former. Which is probably good, but also I miss out on sciency things sometimes.)
I live in a progressive state. MY STATE WINS PROGRESSION!
LikeLike
July 6th, 2013 at 1:56 pm
While celebrating the decisions loudly — and wishing my lesbian parents (yes, they existed in 1946, though the pregnancy of my mother was, almost certainly, accidental) were alive to celebrate their own 35 year relationship by getting it recognized legally) I want to weigh in on the ‘choice-determined’ question.
I have always been dubious about the ‘genetic aspect’ idea, for several reasons. A person’s sexual orientation does, frequently, change over time — and certainly specific situations can cause a seeming change (the prisoner who is actively and emotionally involved in a consensual relationship — not a forced one — that will disappear and probably be denied as soon as the gates open, por similar situations in men’s shelters, boarding schools, or in the old days of ships when the entire crew was male.
Nor do I think the idea of ‘choice’ is as simple as it is made out to be — or as relevant legally, though it did seem to be valuable politically. Let me give three non-sexual examples — using myself as an example — and let you puzzle over what ‘choice’ means.
I: I am an atheist, and have been since the age of 16. Once I began seriously studying the subject, I did not feel I was ‘choosing’ atheism, merely responding to the facts I had discovered. But I also knew that everything that made up ‘me’ in this context did not ‘have a choice’; that I could not be me and not be an atheist. Part of that ‘everything’ was, yes, ‘learned behavior,’ but even the aspect of my mind that was sympathetic enough with a skeptical point of view to explore it and accept it seems to be ‘inherent’ in me — yet I doubt if it is in any way ‘genetic.’
II: I hate avocados. I literally was in a situation, during a rough patch in my life where I hadn’t eaten for three days, and a friend offered me a salad that included sliced avocados. I tried, as hungry as I was to eat it, and found I could not. Did I ‘choose’ not to eat that salad? And where does my hatred for avocados come from, a hatred this strong? It is obviously deep-seated and uneradicable and not ‘conscious.’ (Had it been conscious, my hunger could have enabled me to override it.) Does this mean it is genetic?
III: I am bisexual, and one of my attractions is towards women in baseball caps. I will work harder to get a better look at a woman I see in one, and will probably find that woman more attractive than if she were not wearing one. I do not know why. I know of no incident I can recall that could have ‘imprinted’ me — though there may have been one. I can think of 24 different, mutually contradictory ‘psychological explanations.’ I do not ‘choose’ to have this reaction — and it is strong enough that I will find myself repeating a glance at someone I already know is unattractive, purely automatically. Yet it IS a ‘choice’ in the way conservatives use the term in this context. If I deny that it is a choice that can be, with effort changed, does this mean I am contending that it is genetic, or that the term ‘choice’ is more complex than the users pretend to think it is.
To remind people of an oft-made point that still slips between the cracks, the answer you give has no legal bearing on the question of LGBT Rights. Religion is the first ‘protected category’ and yet there is no doubt that, if the question is between ‘choice’ and ‘genetic’ almost all religious people would choose ‘choice.’ (The complications of considering it ‘genetic’ would be the contradictions of strict Augustinian or Calvinian Predestination — on steroids.)
I could throw in further complications — I like performing oral sex on both men and women. I know of women who could say the same thing. By the standard argument, each of us are ‘acting naturally’ in one context and ‘doing something genetically programmed’ in the other, yet think of how complex this makes the genetic idea.
I’ll stop there, and save a couple of points for rebuttal.
LikeLike
July 7th, 2013 at 4:42 pm
I don’t know if it’s going to upset you, but I’m not going to argue. You’ve laid out your points (in some places, in graphic detail) and if you feel this is the case, more power to you.
I didn’t put up this post in order to argue nature vs. nurture. If you’re good with your sexuality – well, awesome! I couldn’t be happier. And you know what? It’s none of my business. Or anyone’s, really.
I think we’re on the same team, here. We’re both happy about the decisions SCOTUS made. So I’m not going to argue. It’s been a nice day and I’m trying to keep my internet-fightery to a minimum lately for my heart health.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 2:06 pm
I shared this as much as I possibly could.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 12:30 am
Thank you so much!
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 2:52 pm
Thank you for this! And your support of people like me :)
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 12:22 am
People like you = humans? Americans?
Heh. I know what you mean. And you’re welcome. Some of my most beloved are people like you – but regardless, we should treat everyone equally, and it kills me we don’t.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 7:42 am
:)
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 3:24 pm
Do you have any idea how much I love you? Love this post!
As a devout Christian, I don’t think it was right to ever deny people rights based on who they love. I know what the Bible says. I also believe in separation of church and state.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 8:04 pm
And I love YOU. You’re the kind of Christian I like. The kind that understands Jesus preached love, not hate, and would be so disappointed in the people saying they were doing this in his name.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 3:58 pm
Tery and I celebrate our 21st anniversary this year. Colorado threw us a bone by legalizing civil unions (marriage still out of reach thanks to state constitutional amendment). For all the people complaining “government has no place deciding marriages,” well I agree, but I don’t see too many straights whining when they get handed tax breaks and over 1000 benefits. We’ve come further in the past decade than in all the time before, but for now the idea that, if we do get married, we wouldn’t be able to move to a state that doesn’t allow gay marriage is ludicrous and must be defeated next.
Also I feel kind of bad for the “next step: bestiality” people. Their desperation is almost palpable as they prepare to be left in the dustbin of history.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 4:00 pm
Also, even more ridiculous than the bestiality argument, is one comment I saw accusing Edith of being “a 1 percenter just trying to get out of paying estate tax.” Yeah, you found us out. This fight is all about financial gain and not about justice and fairness.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 7:59 pm
Heh. A one-percenter wouldn’t blink at a piddly $300 grand.
Idiotic.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 8:02 pm
Congratulations! 21 years, that’s amazing!
Seriously, I want to know when I can marry a turtle. WHEN’S IT GONNA BE MY TIME?
I’m just hoping before I die the whole damn country shakes its head at how awful we were now, and same-sex marriage isn’t even a term. I want it to all be called marriage, dammit.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 4:11 pm
Love. This. Post. That is all. Except that I’m a (coughdirtyliberalcough) too.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 7:58 pm
I knew I liked you. Us filthy liberals gotta stick together, yo.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 5:40 pm
Ahahaha, I love @IamJesusHChrist’s response to Huckabee. Or maybe Jesus simply rolled his eyes and thought, “About time.”
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 7:32 pm
Right?! People seem to think this is any different than how people used the Bible to say interracial marriage was wrong. OH WAIT. It’s not.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 7:55 pm
But gays choose that lifestyle! Oh. Wait. No.
Every argument falls apart and boils down to “I’m a terrible bigot full of hatred who’s afraid of anything different than the small world I know about.”
LikeLike
June 29th, 2013 at 10:28 am
*nod* Exactly.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 7:57 pm
Seriously. I laughed so hard.
Sometimes I think of Jesus watching this crap going on in his name and how furious it would make him and I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
LikeLike
June 29th, 2013 at 10:27 am
Seriously. At the very least he must be doing a lot of facepalms.
Guys…guys, no, that is NOTwhat I meant by… *sigh*
There’s actually a story I once heard about one of Jesus’ disciples, or someone who lived very close to that time, who would preach during the Mass, and the only thing he’d say would be – “Children, love one another.” And after a while someone asked him why he only said that, and he said it was the only message that really mattered.
I always liked that story.
LikeLike
June 30th, 2013 at 1:51 am
I say that all the time. If Jesus came back now, he’d be SO ANGRY. “YOU KNOW THIS ISN’T WHAT I MEANT, YOU GUYS! REMEMBER WHAT I DID TO THE MONEYCHANGERS IN THE TEMPLE? LOOK OUT, I’M EVEN MADDER NOW!”
LikeLike
June 30th, 2013 at 9:09 pm
OH NO, NOT THE MONEYCHANGER INCIDENT!! D-:
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 8:36 pm
All of this. Just so much yes.
Signed,
Another *coughdirtyliberalcough*
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 9:32 pm
Man, there are a lot of us. We oughtta start a political party or something.
LikeLike
June 27th, 2013 at 10:36 pm
This might be the first time I got teary reading a blog post. Excellent article and I super love you. Congratulations, America! (I hope my country takes the steps towards equality, too. Soon.)
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 12:20 am
Thank you! I think I win if I evoke tears. :)
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 9:15 am
Yay! Wonderful post. What a great day Wednesday was.
And I was going to see that musical (actually based on the original play, you know? Yes, I’m a Marx Brothers geek.) tonight, but things didn’t work out. Hope it was good.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 10:16 am
Wait, the same one I was seeing? That’s quite a theater. Gorgeous place.
I personally didn’t like it, for a variety of reasons. None of them the theater’s fault. (Well, other than play selection.) But if you like the Marx Brothers, and that type of humor is your thing, I think you will love it. Plus there were two kind of famous people in it! (And the sets/costumes were gorgeous, and the dancing was cool.)
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 10:43 am
Yes, indeed. The same one. I love that theater.
Aw, I’m sorry you didn’t like it. It’s not the real thing, of course. But still, it’s here till the 13th, and I love cool dancing. May have to make more of an effort. :)
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 10:59 am
I’d never been before last night (this summer’s my first summer being to Massachusetts, so I’m discovering ALL the wonderful theater they have to offer.) Such a gorgeous venue, and wonderful seating – great sightlines.
AND, in looking at their summer brochure – “Pygmalion” with Robert Sean Leonard? I doubt I’ll get assigned to it, but I’m kind of desperate to see it. I might pay full price and make the trip on my own.
If you love dancing (and of course the Marx Brothers) it’s totally for you. I’m not at all a dancing person and even I could appreciate how good it was. And my opinion of it was purely based on personal preference – the audience really seemed to be loving it. I’m just not a slapstick/vaudeville/standup person. (And the plot itself was a little light for me, with lots of loose ends – it seemed like it was really just there to showcase the comedy, which I’m pretty sure it was. It was a Marx Brothers piece, after all.)
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 11:56 am
Oh, I hope you get to see Pygmalion then! And yes, the Main Stage is gorgeous. All 3 stages have their own personalities. Center Stage is fun, because they can move the seats and walls around. And the Adams Theatre is just old school nice (and the original theater built back in the… um… ’40s, I think).
Yup, that’s Animal Crackers in a nutshell: just a venue for them to run around and be silly + singing/dancing. It’s not my favorite of theirs, but I love Groucho’s two signature songs in it.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 12:13 pm
I was very impressed with the place overall. Gorgeous, well-run, classy. I’ll definitely go back.
I try very hard to like silly shows but I just get frustrated. I try not to pan them in the reviews, though. My personal opinion isn’t the theater’s fault and I know a lot of people love that humor.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 12:16 pm
Indeed they do. :)
Oh, and you knew you were walking on ground Sondheim walked on, right? He went to school there. ;)
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 2:30 pm
He DID? I didn’t know that! Wait, is it part of a school, that theater? Because it looked like it was, but I didn’t see anything around that looked collegiate (but I was a little late, and didn’t have time to properly look around.)
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 2:57 pm
He did! And yes, it is. Sits on the western edge of campus, so no surprise you didn’t see much. Ugly dorms and fancy old frat houses would be all you’d’ve have seen.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 7:18 pm
What campus is it? I thought it looked collegiate! And now I’m totally envious my school didn’t have a theater like that. (Although we had plenty of amazing theater opportunities. My school was one of the best SUNYs, theater-wise. I’m really not complaining.)
LikeLike
June 29th, 2013 at 8:39 am
Williams College. Liberal arts place most folks have never heard of, but it’s kinda rich.
And wow, we shoved this thread right into the margin. :o
LikeLike
June 29th, 2013 at 8:47 am
I hate that about multiple replies, the squishing of the comments. I should see if Andreas can fix that once he’s done moving house.
LikeLike
June 29th, 2013 at 8:48 am
Oh, that would be nice!
LikeLike
June 30th, 2013 at 1:51 am
He’s looking into it! He’s the best, that Andreas. No joke.
LikeLike
June 30th, 2013 at 9:01 am
Yay, Andreas!
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 11:25 am
ahhhh, this is a good one, Ame! Pennsylvania legislature is apparently already at work on gay marriage bill legalizing it. This ruling IS changing shit overnight. LITERALLY.
I will be sharing this.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 11:43 am
I saw that in the need yesterday and was all, “LET’S GO, PENNSYLVANIA!”
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 11:44 am
OMG, I want all the states around me to be awesome. Wouldn’t that be the best?
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 11:49 am
Jim! Thank you so much! I’m so glad you liked it!
I will cheer for your state SO LOUDLY if it passes!
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 11:41 am
Three cheers for getting something right! Wooooooo!
Of course, just the day before they got it horribly fucking wrong…
But I’m so happy and proud about the DOMA and Prop8 decisions.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 11:46 am
The Texas thing? It didn’t end up passing, did it? I’m so confused. I thought they stopped the clock illegally, got caught, and it didn’t pass. But people are all mad. So now I’m worried it did pass.
Either way, I’m head-over-heels for Wendy Davis. Seriously, it’s gotten to the point I see a photo of her and I start weeping. Such a hero. I want a Hillary Clinton/Wendy Davis presidential ticket and I want that now. NOW.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 11:55 am
The Texas thing was awesome. I was speaking of the gutting of the Voting Rights Act. I am in shock over that one. Sigh. So mad.
People are mad about Texas because Rick Perry called another special session to start on Monday…so they have to defend against SB5 all over again. Repudheads never stop. Ugh.
Wendy Davis should be everyone’s hero. As should Edie and everyone else involved in these wonderful battles against inequality. *standing ovation*
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 2:35 pm
My WordPress app went wonky when I was trying to reply to this. *shakes fist*
I didn’t hear about the Voting Rights act until today. I was so busy the past few days. I can’t even wrap my mind around that.
And of course Perry did. He’s now saying that Wendy Davis should think again, because what if her mom had aborted her? Ugh, WHAT IF YOUR MOM HAD ABORTED YOU, YOU PIECE OF SHIT.
I was behind a car today with a bumper sticker that said “The opposite of life is death…so what’s the opposite of PRO-LIFE?”
So I shouted the answers to that as I followed her (she also drove poorly, littered, and cut me off):
“Someone who doesn’t think they have the right to choose what I do with my body!”
“Someone who doesn’t think it’s ok to throw McDonald’s wrappers out of the window in front of a school!”
“Someone I’d actually want to spend my free time with!”
“Someone who doesn’t think bumper stickers are activism!”
She didn’t hear me but I didn’t care.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 2:57 pm
Haaaaaaa! You and I are so much alike–I heart you.
I would have added, “THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS PRO-LIFE, ASSWIPE–YOU’RE JUST ANTI-CHOICE.” Ahem.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 7:17 pm
She was the worst. When I let her out in front of me in the parking lot she gave me this queenly wave as if I was one of her subjects and it was expected of me. Then I saw the bumper sticker and wished I not only HADN’T let her out, but that I’d put my “not a Republican” sticker on MY car so she’d have to see it. (But I don’t believe in bumper stickers. I think they’re messy.)
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 1:39 pm
I second that!
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 2:28 pm
Thank you!
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 12:39 pm
Thank you for this. Just…thank you.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 2:29 pm
Thank you for reading! I’m so glad you liked it!
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 1:38 pm
Great freaking post. Period. Now break it down on the Voting Rights Bill. That is scaring the crap outta me right now. Also Texas. WT ever loving F?
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 2:29 pm
I didn’t hear about the Voting Rights Bill until today. I was so busy. Blargh. I KNOW. It’s a worry. And the Texas thing – well, Wendy Davis is my hero, and I love her beyond all that is rational. But those men…Rick Perry…I don’t…I can’t even. I can’t even. I already have a headache. If I start, I might blow a gasket.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 3:31 pm
Reblogged this on Make Me a Sammich and commented:
I <3 Lucy.
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 4:06 pm
[…] And if you’re looking for something on the 7th level of awesome to read about this, read what one of our straight allies has to say: Homophobes and the Terrible, Awful, No Good, Very Bad Day […]
LikeLike
June 28th, 2013 at 8:03 pm
Reblogged this on The Sin City Siren.
LikeLike
June 29th, 2013 at 2:40 pm
As an accidental stumbler on-ner, (Actually, I got here by way of poetlandia, because if she thinks it is wonderful and important, I go and look.) your writing just made my heart swell up.
LikeLike
June 30th, 2013 at 1:37 am
Aw, thank you so much! I like accidental stumble-on-ers! I’m so glad you’re here!
LikeLike
June 29th, 2013 at 3:50 pm
I wrote on my blog about what this day meant to me. Love this post! Rock on! Your candor is refreshing. :)
LikeLike
June 30th, 2013 at 1:35 am
Thank you! This post was a joy to write and I’m so glad people enjoyed it!
LikeLike
July 2nd, 2013 at 4:05 pm
I don’t even live in the U.S., nor do I ever want to, but HOLYFACKINGRAINBOWSPRINKLES did this thrill me! A victory for one is a victory for all. It’s about time the government/law stopped fricking contradicting itself.
I just wish all these other countries could catch the disease. More people need to see that equal rights for the LGBT community will have NO effect on them whatsoever and they should shut their pieholes with their stupid opposition!
LikeLike
July 2nd, 2013 at 7:21 pm
It’s great, isn’t it? I just hope I live to see the day this is all an embarrassing part of our past and it’s not an issue anymore.
(And I promise the States aren’t that bad. I love my country. I just think we have some issues. But every country does, I suppose.)
LikeLike
July 14th, 2013 at 4:36 pm
Oh, for sure! I’d take the US over The Bahamas any idea. I just prefer Canada. :)
LikeLike
December 17th, 2013 at 6:50 am
Awesome post! Recently in Australia, where I’m from, gay marriage was briefly allowed in Canberra only to have the high court overturn the new law and anul the marriages that had taken place. It’s disgraceful!
LikeLike
December 17th, 2013 at 8:51 pm
Oh, that’s terrible. We had something similar happen in California a while ago, but it’s been rectified now. Hopefully it will be there, as well! Thanks for reading!
LikeLike