The juxtaposition of the North Carolina vote to ban gay marriage (which, at the base, will also affect the lives of unmarried straight couples who will also now be given second class status), along with President Obama stepping forward to say that he is in favor of the equal right for all people to marry - that's kind of a lot to swallow.
Here in Minnesota, at the same time that Obama will be trying for a second term in office (most likely against Mitt Romney - who was apparently for gay rights until he found out that the party he was in didn't like that idea), we'll also be voting on an actual state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Apparently it's not enough that gay marriage is already illegal in the state - now it also needs to be in the state constitution. . .? (Nope. I don't understand that, either.)
I find myself almost as depressed by the news as I do excited by it. I'm thrilled that the Commander in Chief had the guts to actually take a stand. But I'm also still worried about the thousands of people who voted against that same stand in North Carolina.
It's strange to walk through my own friendly, nurturing neighborhood feeling like there is not a single person around here who wouldn't help me out if something happened to me or Christopher or the pooch, and yet wonder how many of these same people will vote against my personal, private rights.
Hopefully, someday, this will all just be a blip in the historical timeline of equality. Until then, well, I guess the support of one man for the equal rights of millions is probably most positive if it stays newsworthy.
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