I don’t think I can actually describe the emotions I’ve felt today; they’ve run the entire gamut. I’m not LGBT, so technically, this ruling legally doesn’t affect me directly, but I have really felt strongly today. Strongly proud. Strongly jubilant. Strongly angry at a select few.
The decision came down around 9am Central, just as I got to work. My phone, with its many news notifications, went absolutely nuts. I did my first work stuff, then got online and it was so early it wasn’t even in my regular newsfeeds. But I got to Facebook. That graphic of the guy with the rainbow coming out from his computer – that was it – that captured the moment perfectly.
I was very emotional. This surprised me. I don’t even think I can adequately convey it in words. I got really choked up. I’m still really choked up, but this morning was just something else.
I have many dear friends who are directly affected by the decision, and I am so happy for them – I can’t contain my joy – that they, finally after all this time, have this measure of equality. I have watched my friends live and love and go through all the ups and downs that us straights do, and the fact that they could be denied the kind of commitment marriage is, was just not fair in any sense of the word. It’s cruel and unusual to think that their love and commitment was not considered as great, legal, paramount, pure – pick yer term – as ours was; that’s just patently unjust. Anyone who’s ever seen someone LGBT truly love another knows this truth.
I’ve also been angry today: angry at the hard core fundamentalists who are decrying the downfall of civilization because it doesn’t agree with their religious – and it’s largely religious – worldview. (If it’s not a religious objection, well then, they’re just straight up bigots, full stop.) Seeing my state decide not to grant licenses and that they were going to drag that out for the full 25 days allotted them, well, that’s just dragging their feet and throwing a temper tantrum at something they know damn well isn’t going to be reversed in that time whatsoever. Seeing the presidential candidates on the right spout off about how the court should be dissolved/defied etc… just really drove home the clown car meme for me. At the very least, with decisions that those on my side – the left – don’t like, we get to working to change those decisions in the legal framework given to us; we certainly don’t throw a full on tantrum that falls very close to the “I’m seceding” crap that a lot of the fundie right gave today. And I’ve been angry at the 4 dissenters – they not only dissented, they wrote 4 separate dissents, at least a full couple of them word salads of hate and disgust. These same authors had no problem with Citizens United and a couple of them had no problem with Bush v Gore, so their selective poutrage is just that – a bit too selective to be intellectually honest.
Now it’s the end of the day, and I have to say I am still emotional about the decision today. Not only did it bring great happiness, it brought some fairness and justice to life here in this country. It’s been a long time coming – days like this – with this historical of a SCOTUS ruling – come maybe once or twice in a lifetime. It’s made its indelible mark on my being, and I will remember the joy in it for as long as I am alive. Congratulations to the Court, who took the time to consider what equality under the law truly meant. Congratulations to all those who fought so hard to get us here to this point. And finally – congratulations to all of my LGBT friends. I love you very much and I am so proud of the movement that got our country here as well as the fact that you will now be able to experience all the joys and benefits at the full and legal status that all of us non-LGBT folks have always enjoyed.
Blessings and much love on all of your houses!
Recent Comments