Gay Marriage And Has Anyone Noticed ?
Something Quite Amusing Just Happened to My Husband, Alex, Today And I 
Thought I'd Share This
I have never been one to use the argument, "We have gay marriage in Massachusetts (and California) and the sky hasn't fallen." I personally like to think that my fellow human beings (the straight ones) understand that there is so much more to this discussion for us gays, but I will let you all decide.
Alex just went to Dunkin Donuts to pick up some iced coffee to bring back to our gallery. He parked our Jeep next to a car which sported a John McCain sticker. Of course our vanity plate reads, " EQL MRG" which is lost to many, I must add, but not to the 70 year old man in the "John McCain" car. This elderly man got out, looked at our license plate and asked what it stood for. Alex responded, "Equal Marriage."
The man's face got all twisted and he said, "I knew it, well that will never happen here!" Alex asked the man if he ever reads the newspapers. He said, "yes I do and all they keep writing about is that we will get to vote on it." Alex said, "well I think I need to inform you that we have had equal marriage in Massachusetts for over 4 years now, and recently too in California."
The man turned bright red, stomped his feet and while my dear husband witnessed this man's reaction, Alex could not help himself but to add one more zinger..."it couldn't be so bad if you havn't even noticed!"
(The only thing that could have topped the moment was if Alex had told the John McCain fan "and one more thing, these aren't iced coffees I am carrying, they are iced lattes!")
Tom Lang, Director
Maybe the old guy is a friend of Paul Patriot....who STILL has not SHUT UP with his "LET THE PEOPLE VOTE" whine....
I am glad that he now has been given a clue that, in fact, the people will NEVER have a chance to vote on our rights nor should they ever had been given the chance to try!
Now if only someone would clue Paul Patriot in to the fact that the matter has been settled by the courts AND the people's elected representatives in the legislature! The people have voted...thru their legislators...and if it is accepted that this group of folk represent us with all other laws and policies...then they also represented us with this. Paul and others are just mad because they LOST and they are looking for another bite at the apple which is never going to come!
GET A LIFE PEOPLE....THERE ARE SO MANY MORE IMPORTANT ISSUES TO DEAL WITH!
P.S. Is anyone ever going to post the names of the CALIFORNIA signers on this site?
Posted by: Joe S. | July 13, 2008 at 08:05 AM
Hi Joe S.,
Wouldnt I LOVE to post the names of California voters who signed the anti-gay petitions. However, California considers names of petition signers "private." KnowThyNeighbor has received over 1000 emails from California LGBT asking us to post names, but alas we cannot because the Sec of State says that would be illegal.
However, I am working on legal channels regarding this. It would seem to me that the names and addresses of petition signers supposedly "protected" from public access of that information which really should be considered public is not "protected" by the state from access of those names and addresses by the paid signature gatherers or the sponsors of the initiative petitions.
So in other words, KTN knows for a fact that these names and addresses are being databased by the signature gatherers, which is also considered "illegal" by the Sec of State, though the Sec of State has no way of policing this or protecting the "public" from these groups using the information for future political purposes.
KTN supporters can easily see that this is exactly why public information needs to remain in the hands of the public. There is a disparage in this -- a major one.
Let's look at Florida, KTN published the names of 650,000 people who signed the anti-gay petition. Now, I am sure some people did not sign because they did not want to have to take a public stand supporting what they believed, though let's talk reality of the access to these names...
With this much data of very likely voters. I am sure Florida4marriage is using this database to send mail canpaigns to these 650,000 people saying, "remember the petition you signed to stop gay marriage, well we want you to remember to get out and vote for the actual legislation."
What LGBT are doing, thanks to Nadine Smith of Florida Equality, is also using this database to say to the 650,000 likely voters, "that you have signed this petition, we would like to explain to you what this legislation would do to the state constitution and to families and to LGBT people." It is a direct way to help educate the electorate, which is a demographic which plays out as generational. Thanks to KTN, Nadine Smith of Florida Equality, is able to use this database.
MassEquality was so quick to attack KnowThyNeighbor and tried to destroy us by sending out emails to hundreds of Equality Federation members calling us ineffective and not to be used by Federation members--all based on ego and personality conflicts within their own ranks. Thank God there are some people like Nadine in the Equality Federation who can actually think outside of the HRC box.
But back to California. California LGBT and Equality California understood and "got" what KTN was doing from the get go. They and the Advocate and people like Michael Signorelli understood us immediately and heralded us. Many of you probably don't even know that various LGBT organizations in California has long since published the names of financial supporters of the anti-gay petitions and have called for and executed various boycotts in multiple counties of business owned by these supporters.
The boycotts came with press and conversations, meaning there were real conversation between financial supporters and LGBT in media outlets. Exactly what KTN espouses-- getting people to talk. And exactly what we did in Massachusetts. So what KTN does is part of the strategy used nationwide, though was not something MassEquality had the balls to do at the time and again, needed to be done. That's why we stepped in and took that part of the movement.
And if anyone wonders how effective KTN was considering that MassEquality and the Caucus could never even acknowledge or thank us for all of our hardwork? You just need to look at Kris Mineau of the Mass Family Institute who place me/KTN as one of the four parts of the gay marriage movement that was his downfall. He called Arline Isaacson of the Caucus the "lobbyist," Marc Solomon of MassEquality, "the grassroots activist," Tom Lang of KTN "the rabble rouser," and Susan Ryan Vollmar of BayWindows, "the press editor."
To this day the emails we get and letters to the editor that still happen everytime I speak on LGBT equality coming from the anti-gay side are amazingly full of vitriol. Why? Because the anti-gays understand that when gays no longer are afraid to advocate for themselves and to speak up that it will cause their friends and family members to speak up in their defense. This open dialogue is the major part of the the solution--ending the fear and creating understanding.
This is something that KTN gave the Massachusetts LGBT movement more than any other group including MEQ -- but not more than the LGBT people themselves and their friends, families and supporters who took our message and "permission" to speak up and went to "the people" and had that very important conversation.
Posted by: Tom Lang | July 13, 2008 at 11:26 AM
THE 1913 DISCRIMINATION LAW IS GOING TO BE VOTED ON TODAY AND IT IS EXPECTED TO BE OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORTED AND THE GOV WILL BE SIGNING IT!!!...SEE THE FILM!
http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/Repeal-of-1913-gay-marriage-law/1216113918.html
WATCH OUT PAUL PATRIOT....THE NEXT STEP TOWARD FULL NATIONAL MARRIAGE EQUALITY IS BEGINNING TODAY!
YOU ARE GOING TO SEE HISTORY HAPPEN AND WITNESS THE CHANGES IN THE NEW WORLD YOUR CHILDREN WILL LIVE IN!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
Posted by: Joe S. | July 15, 2008 at 09:32 AM
Great story... Thanks
Posted by: Ron | July 17, 2008 at 07:47 AM
At least California respects democracy
They will vote
Yes Joe - THE PEOPLE WILL VOTE!!!!!
California gay marriage ban vote to proceed
Wed Jul 16, 2008 11:04pm BST
- California voters will have the chance to vote in November on whether to end gay marriage after the state's top court declined on Wednesday to remove an initiative on the issue from the ballot.
California, the U.S.'s most populous state, started marrying same-sex couples a month ago after the California Supreme Court ruled that limiting marriage to a man and a woman violated the state's constitution.
Opponents of gay marriage then placed an initiative to amend the constitution on the November ballot. "Proposition 8" declares that marriage will be limited to one man with one woman.
In the latest phase of a bitter legal battle, supporters of homosexual marriage asked the California Supreme Court to remove the issue from the ballot. The court unanimously denied the petition without detailed comment.
The referendum will appear on the same ballot as the presidential and congressional elections. It requires a simple majority for approval.
"We're disappointed, but this ruling does not affect the campaign against Prop 8 in any way," said a group of organizations fighting for gay rights including the National Center for Lesbian Rights and Lambda Legal.
California is the second U.S. state after Massachusetts to allow gay marriage, but is the only one to issue the licenses to couples from other states.
Posted by: The Patriot | July 20, 2008 at 09:04 AM
"At least California respects democracy"
And then what? If the voters decide against the ban then you embrace same sex marriage whole heartedly because "democracy was respected?"
I'd love to see that.
Posted by: Scott | July 20, 2008 at 09:41 AM
Tom, thanks for the great story. It amazes me the lack of understanding that is out there. How can people have such strong opinions and not keep themselves fully informed? I can imagine the smiles that conversation elicited from Alex, that must have been rich!
The bigots of California will have their vote it seems, but the polls show it will not go their way. I expect the same will happen as in Arizona, where the bigots lost so they will try again.
However, the support for any and all forms of discrimination are eroding faster than a sand castle in high tide, and I coulnd't be any more proud. As I said from the begining of this blog back in 2005, I believe in the inherent goodness in all people, even you Paul.
Posted by: John Hosty-Grinnell | July 20, 2008 at 11:31 AM
Scott - I will respect the vote of the people, yes.
It is the only fair way to respect all of the people's opinions.
Haters like Lang, Hosty though don't get this though. They will screw themselves in the end
Posted by: The Patriot | July 21, 2008 at 07:34 AM
blah blah blah
Posted by: ryan charisma | July 21, 2008 at 08:09 AM
We are a Representative Democracy Patriot. And you and yours didn't "represent." What ever happened to the "groundswell of support" against same-sex marriage that Kris Mineau was always blowing about?
Like I said once before, his "groundswell" needed Viagra. It certainly didn't have "the voice of the people."
Posted by: Tom Lang | July 21, 2008 at 04:59 PM
When do the people get to vote directly on banning Hummer H3s and other gas guzzling large SUVs? When do we get to vote directly on putting up more wind turbines and solar panels to reduce fossil fuel use? Not everything gets voted on directly by the people in a republic.
As Joe and others constantly say the fundamental human rights of people ought never to be put before voters because of the threat of tyranny of the majority. If there were not explicit guarantees of freedom of religion in the US Constitution there would have been many religions that could easily have been banned by plebiscites in our not-always-fair country. It would have been easy to ban Islam, Judaism, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientology and possibly even Roman Catholicism. At times each of these religions has been deeply unpopular with the majority of Americans.
Let Republican Democracy work with checks and balances! Long live all three branches of US government! These may not be catchy short simple slogans, but life is complex and simple solutions to problems are not always best.
Posted by: Steven Keirstead | July 22, 2008 at 08:08 AM
THE PEOPLE OF CALIFORNIA WILL VOTE!!!!
Posted by: The Patriot | July 22, 2008 at 08:11 AM
PS. Alex should get a hybrid. If you have to get an SUV get the most efficient one you can find. If Dunkin Donuts is close, walk. I'm glad I don't have to own a car in Boston, though I know Marblehead has terrible public transit.
Posted by: Steven Keirstead | July 22, 2008 at 08:12 AM
The people of California are unlucky. It is far to easy to get very stupid petitions made law there.
Posted by: Steven Keirstead | July 22, 2008 at 08:14 AM
Steven,
We do not own an SUV. That is a Jeep in the picture (about 20mpg). Of course our next car will be a hybrid or something with much better fuel economy, but we have owned Jeeps because of where we live. I need a good 4 wheel drive vehicle as my property is in rough terrain and the conversation land around us is horrible in winter. I need a car that can get me over the mounds of earth and thru the unplowed snow.
Posted by: Tom Lang | July 22, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Hey Tom, That sounds justifiable to me. I just hope cars and trucks get much more efficient very fast. Hybrids, diesel-hybrids and other technologies should help. Jeeps, trucks and SUVs should benefit more than small cars from regenerative breaking used in hybrids.
I do worry about our eventual move to Maine, and having to own a vehicle. I'd almost rather have a horse and cart!
Posted by: Steven Keirstead | August 07, 2008 at 10:57 PM
Why stop at giving equal rights to gay couples to marry? Why should people impose their moral values toward someone's belief that polygamy is wrong as well (if they "love" each other). In fact why should they place their moral believes on me if my sister and I wanted to marry as well. Why can't I marry my mother than too? Do you see where this is going? What is the difference? Polygamy or marrying my sister may not be "vogue" today but tomorrow is another day!
Posted by: Joe Question | October 27, 2008 at 09:14 AM
So is the moral of this article that if something has been true for a whole month and the world hasn't yet ended than it must have been okay to do? Sounds like the mentality used by the people who got our economy in the shape it is today. I'm sure they said the same thing. Btw... what does iced coffee versus iced latte have to do with anything? Must have been another "zinger"?
Posted by: Andy Patriot | October 27, 2008 at 09:28 AM
Quite frankly I don't care if you marry 1 or 11 people, and if you want to marry your sister and produce mongoloid children, then by all means do it.
I don't judge.
Posted by: ryan charisma | October 27, 2008 at 10:01 AM
Sounds like absolutes or morality are not in your vocabulary. This was sadly the mindset of those during the days of slavery when so many people turned away and refused to judge someone's actions. Judging became worse than what was going on as well as a convenient way to not be involved. Watch the movie 'Amazing Grace'. Very powerful message for today. I know the current trend is to accept everything and somehow view yourself as enlightened but unfortunately it is a path to self deception. I know you may view this form of relationship as completely acceptable but Im sure the slave owners did the same in their day. Sorry if I came across harshly but just want to encourage thought and self reflection.
Posted by: Joe Question | October 27, 2008 at 05:55 PM