It has come to my attention that there are people in the LGBT community who are pointing fingers of blame at communities of color, notably black folks, because there was a tendency among black and latino voters to vote yes on prop 8.  Note that neither of these communities are monoliths, just as not all white people are John McCain or John Kerry supporters.  

We really need to come together.  REALLY.  There is not time to wait on this.  We've got to get together, and sit at the table and stay at the table.  This includes those in the GLBT community, the black and Latino communities, women, anybody else who has experienced oppression, and allies of all stripes.  My hope is that this present animosity is the beginning of a dialog that needs to happen.  And I am hoping through communities coming together, this dialog can ride the fast track.

The media and the advertising, and the coordinated Yes on 8 effort by Mormons and the Catholic church are nearer to the root of this problem.  And the problem has many roots, certainly.  There are bigots in California, and in America.  Bigoted by race, by sexual identity, sexual affinity, and many other dimensions.  And there are people who were bamboozled by too many ads, or voted according to the way their church told them.  I highly doubt that there were many people of color who voted out of spite or to "spread the oppression around."  At the very least, that is cutting off one's nose to spite one's own face, since the LGBT community intersects with every culture in America (though some cultures try harder to push it back into the closet).

Here's an interesting thing: Among all the press coverage that prop 8 has gotten, does anybody know how Prop 9 turned out?  Well, it passed.   Prop 9 is one of those "get tough on crime" things that means a lot of money (from a fairly dry pool in CA) is going to go toward the prison system.  As a person who speaks out on behalf of marginalized people in the prison system (many of whom are of color), I wonder why this hasn't received as much attention as Prop 8?

lyrics: "And as she turns the volume down, he's getting smaller with the sound..." Angie Baby, by Helen Reddy

colors: Get it together.

mood: Tired, distracted.

chant/prayer/mantra: For peace, and divine connection between us all.  Amen.


pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel