Victory Bittersweet

November 10, 2008

Being African American and Transgendered among many other pronouns I was full of joy and pride at Americans being able to move past the issue of race to elect a black man into the highest office in the land but disheartened that they still weren't ready to accept that people with a differering sexual orientation were not just as valid. November 4th was not only the day that I found out Yes I Can but also the day I was told No You Can't.
Something is not right in the Golden State. Even as Californians gave 61 percent of their vote to Barack Obama, a majority of them, 52 percent, voted to discriminate against another kind of minority--gays and lesbians. For a brief window that began in the bridal month of June, California gays had the right to marry, thanks to a state Supreme Court ruling, and some 18,000 same-sex couples said "I do." Proposition 8--a ballot initiative that would amend the state Constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman--now says "You can't!"
Other numbers paint an even grimmer picture. If exit polls are to be believed, some 70 percent of African-Americans voted Yes on 8, as did 52 percent of Latinos and 49 percent of Asians; each of these demographics went heavily for Obama, blacks by a 94-to-6 margin. Los Angeles County, heavily minority, went 50-50 on Prop 8. These results have shocked gay activists, who knew from earlier polls that black voters favored Prop 8, but they were seeing much smaller margins, closer to 50 percent.
The easy, dangerous explanation for this gap, and one already tossed around by some white gay liberals in the bitter aftermath, is that people of color are not so secretly homophobic. But a more complicated reckoning--one that takes into account both the organizing successes of the Christian right and the failures of the gay movement--will have to take place if activists want a different result next time. First, there's the matter of the Yes on 8 coalition's staggering disinformation campaign. Ad after ad told voters that without Prop 8, their churches would be forced to perform same-sex unions and be stripped of their tax-exempt status; that schools would teach their children to practice homosexuality; and, perhaps most effective, that a smiling Barack Obama had said, "I'm not in favor of gay marriage." This last bit went out in a flier by the Yes on 8 campaign, targeting black households.
Obama indeed does not favor gay marriage, as he said during the primary, but he also came out emphatically against Prop 8, as a late TV ad by the No on 8 campaign emphasized. Mainstream outlets like the Los Angeles Times meticulously countered the other lies as well, but too little, too late. They had taken root in many communities of color, and once lodged, proved difficult to dislodge.

You Voted For Obama So Now What?

November 6, 2008

Two slogans resonated throughout Obama's campaign. That was, Yes We Can and Time for Change. With the successful election of Obama now we have to figure out where we play in all this. Voting for Obama was only the first step. Let's not be disillusioned into thinking that this one man will be our Messiah. As American's far too many times we put our people on pedestals only to kick that same pedestal from under them. Obama is a man, a human prone to all the things that plague us all. There is an overwhelming gravity placed on the shoulders of this man and its up to us all to continue in our support.

The change of office is never immediate or drastic. Change is a process other wise it would be called a miracle. Obama is coming into a system that has been patched for far too long instead of being fixed. We have put a band aid on many of the cancers that plague our nation instead of finding a cure. In my humble opinion its going to take two terms for the dream to be truly realized. Let's not sit on our backsides and wait to reap the benefits of our one vote. Any time in our history when ground breaking things took place it took the work of the entire nation it starts from the head and trickles down to every man. We must roll up our sleeves and work with our new government and trust that our choice was the best choice.

Lets not sit back 3 months, 6 months a year into this mans term and start to loose faith and start picking apart him and the administration he chooses to help him and us in the process of progress. Some things will be immediate but for the most part you will see subtle strides forward. All that matters is that we are moving forward. The Presidency is like anything else there are steps to reach a plateau and if those steps don't exist they must be built.

To the second part Yes We Can the most operative word of this was WE. We is used a lot in our government and what our political history. We the people, We hold these truths and so forth. Our President -elect is not in this alone the success of his term will depend of us. We the people and how we back him.

Let's stop treating our politicians as celebrities or Demi God's. These are men born of women completely human and the only thing special about any of them, including Obama, is how they think and what they intend to do.

Because He's Black?

October 22, 2008

Although I am glad that many people who have never voted before have registered and taken part in this years elections. I have had people ask me and even many more tell me am I voting Obama cause he is black. While I was excited to find out that a black man had a real chance of winning the nomination, I prayed even harder he was a qualified candidate. I take my vote very seriously and spend my votes like I spend my dollars. I am an informed voter just like I am an informed consumer. Obama's stand on many of the major issues affecting us today line up in what I feel would be best for our countries current state of affairs.

Blacks and Gays should take heed and be responsible for their most precious of human rights and that is the right to vote and choose who makes decisions for your life. Gone are the days of saying my vote won't count. Obama has made history so many times during this historic election already.

Don't let the momentum of this election end we have to be a political people in order to be taken serious and have our needs and concerns addressed. Don't let your vote stop with Obama. Vote when it come time for your city and state legislature as well. If you want to continue to share in the American dream and have the same civil rights as others its your duty to act like you care.

If Obama gets your vote only because he is black I say this time you won on the gamble but in future elections be an informed voter.

I leave you in love
Chanel

Gay Schools

October 14, 2008

Chicago is set to vote on its first gay school with as I understand it will not be exclusively gay. I have been hearing a lot about these schools and watching the debates and articles written about them. I have mixed feelings about this mainly because of the fact that I was the only of my friends to endure and finish high school and ultimately college being out in a highly discriminatory enviroment. I sometimes think if this option was available for them that maybe they too could have finished school. Then on the other hand I am not in support of this because to me this in some way applies that persons having to result to this option as being weak or flawed, almost like they are being sent to a handicapped school.

I never had much drama in school because I was secure in myself and had a great bunch of friends and a momma who didn't mind coming up there to make sure that the staff was seeing to my well being and that I had a enviroment conducive to learning. The adversities that I did have to come against only served to make me a stronger more determined and well rounded person. Life is about living and you will experience as much pain as pleasure. I think that this is a part of the learning process. I can't speak to being physically abused because in my day it was just a lot of name calling if that. I might have felt differently if my safety was in danger. I learned early in my home that words only hurt if I accept what people are saying to me as my reality.

I will be watching if the gay schools help one gay child finish school would otherwise would drop out then I say good but this is still only a band aid on cancer to me. The work that we do here and many other activist is where the real focus should be. Why should children have to accept or opt out because they are not legally protected based on sexual orientation. This reminds me of when black children first fought for the right to be in all white schools. Will these gay schools provide the same level of academia as some of our better Chicago Schools?

A child should not have to feel they have to be in a certain eviroment to get an education based on sexuality. Just like we don't have to live in all gay communities or work for just gay based orginazations. This is a double edged sword and for those that are gay and lesbian fighting so hard for these schools do we continue to segregate after graduation where does it end. We are all Americans first and all the other breakdowns mean nothing. We are given certain rights as citizens the real fight shouldn't be for our own schools but legal protection in any school we choose to attend.

I think the right wing that does not approve of gays will gladly give this up just like they gave segregated schools to blacks in the 60's just so they wouldnt have to deal with them in "their" schools. The seperation in school only seems to further alientate us from them. It in a way continues the they are not like us attitude and will make heterosexual people view us as different.

I am torn but 90 percent of my soul and spirit says that gay schools are a step back and that is not the direction in which we wish to go in. We want full and equal. We deserve it. It is our contitutional right.

School is a social situation but its not supposed to be a sexual one. Its not like its a bar or club where you are coming to meet for personal engagement on a sexual nature. It is supposed to be a nurturing educational enviroment. Just like abortion clinics and clinics that exclusively treat for HIV/AIDS wouldn't common knowledge of these schools being exclusively gay make the students even more recognizable targets for gay bashers and further discrimination? What's to stop a homophopic group from deciding to wait til after school to stalk and attack these kids.

I say it again this in my eyes is a bandaid on cancer we need to deal with the real problem and the problem is not the kids being gay its them being unable to get what is fundamentally theirs by law.

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