As liberal
America cheered the election of Barack Obama, the country's
first African-American president, California's LGBT
community wasn't able to join in the celebration. The
passing of Prop. 8, eliminating same-sex marriage in
the state, left the community defeated. These are the words
our friends and family members need to read.
Dear family and
friends:
I hope you will
read what I've written. It is my somewhat raw reaction to
the passing of Proposition 8 in California and the exciting
night after. It would mean a lot to me if you would.
This has been a
painful time for me, and I wanted to let you know how I
felt as a gay Californian to be discriminated against and
have my status as a full citizen diminished by the
majority. Proposition 8 will rewrite the California
constitution to enshrine bigotry against same-sex couples.
I celebrated when
the California supreme court found that our
constitution protects all Californians equally and provides
all of us the right to marry. I was unhappy -- but not
very fearful -- when Prop. 8 made it to the ballot. I
was sure that society had changed enough to ensure its
defeat. An African-American was looking like he might be our
next president.
I donated to the
No on Prop. 8 campaign -- as did my brother, who has
supported me so much, both personally and politically. When
the campaign began to struggle due to lies -- debunked
by the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers -- I
decided I had to get more involved. I helped edit a letter
written by our gay Armenian group, a letter which was
published in the Armenian Reporter.
And I
volunteered. After I cast my ballot on Election Day, I stood
for three hours 100 feet outside a Los Feliz voting
station speaking to voters on their way in and
handing out fliers. Of the 60 or so I reached, all but
two were extremely supportive. I felt great and, buoyed by
the polls that showed Prop. 8 would be defeated, I
joined friends and other volunteers at the No on 8
party that night at the Music Box Theater in
Hollywood.
The mood was
jubilant at first, especially when California polls closed
and Barack Obama was declared the winner. Along with over a
thousand people, I watched the president-elect's
speech. The mess Bush has made of our country over the
last eight years suddenly seemed reversible. And it
might not take decades, as I'd feared. Obama might be able
to turn the country around in one or two terms, I
thought. His speech was that inspiring.
But the night
quickly turned sour. After the speech, my friends began
receiving text messages telling us that our side was losing
by five to seven points.
I knew I hadn't
done enough. I could have worked so much harder on the
campaign. I could have spoken to all of you. But I didn't.
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