Proud and Ashamed to be an American Today

I am feeling both proud and ashamed to be an American today. I am proud that the American people have stepped up to the plate and chose change over fear by voting for Barak Obama. However, I am beyond disappointed that while the American people are finally willing to elect an African-American president, they still choose to discriminate against LGBT Americans all over the country.

Voters in both Arizona and Florida passed amendments that will deny LGBT Americans the right to marry, and in some cases, the right to civil unions or domestic partnerships. And in Arkansas, voters passed an amendment that would eliminate the right for anyone who is not "legally" married (specifically the LGBT community) to adopt or foster children. And of course we can't forget Proposition 8 in California, which at the time I am writing this post is still too close to call, but appears likely to pass, but by a small margin.

However, even with these defeats, HRC President, Joe Solmonese, is far from ready to give up this fight. “We all know that our marriages did not begin with a court decision and they will not end with a vote on a discriminatory amendment.”

“In California, we firmly believe that all votes should be counted before calling the race. Several million votes in CA have yet to be counted. We are waiting to see the final results from those ballots and we should not be speculating about something as important as people’s fundamental rights,” continued Solmonese.

“Although we lost our battles in Arizona and Florida, we will not allow the lies and hate—the foundation on which our opponents built their campaign—to break our spirits. We are on the right side of history—and we will continue this journey."

“The continuing movement in public opinion underscores that it is only a matter of time before we undo this loss and add more states to the march for marriage equality,” Solmonese continued.

We can only hope that President Elect Barak Obama, who did happen to mention the gay community in his acceptance speech, will help to lead the American people towards a more compassionate and less discriminatory view of the LGBT community.

LBGT Discriminatory Amendments on the Ballot this November

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.


I am sure by now you have all heard about California's Prop 8, which if passed, would eliminate the right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry in California. However, California is not the only state dealing with anti-gay and discriminatory amendments on the ballot in this election, other states such as Arizona, Florida and Arkansas, are also fighting for LGBT rights.

Arizona
Arizona's GLBT population is dealing with Proposition 102, also known by its supporters as the Marriage Protection Amendment. If enacted, it would amend the Arizona Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

Arizona is the only state whose voters have rejected a same-sex marriage ban in past elections. The 2006 rejection of Proposition 107 was widely attributed to provisions interpreted to prohibit government recognition of domestic partnerships and civil unions.


Florida
Florida is facing their own Marriage Protection Amendment, known as Proposition 2. The official text states, "This amendment protects marriage as the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife and provides that no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized." The one positive thing I could find about this amendment, is that in Florida for this proposition to pass, the it will require a 60% majority.


Arkansas

The state of Arkansas is not dealing with same-sex marriage this year, instead, they are dealing with a nasty adoption ban called the Unmarried Couple Adoption Ban. This is a citizen-initiated state statute that would make it illegal for any individual cohabiting outside of a valid marriage to adopt or provide foster care to minors. While the measure was designed to prohibit same-sex couples from being adoptive or foster parents, this measure would also apply to all otherwise qualified couples who are not legally married.



Sources:
Florida Dept of State Elections Division
Arkansas Ballot Measures
California Secretary of State