Overheard

It was a glorious day, sunny and warm, over 70˚ with clear blue skies, a late Spring day much more than a late November one. The geese, when not congregating in the golf course and at the edges of the lake, were flying low overhead, the whites of their bellies reflecting the gold of the sun. Duncan and I ventured out several times, our feet too restless to stay inside for long.

On our last trip to the park a group of small children approached, their parents standing just behind them. They asked politely if they could pet Dunc, who sat nicely for them but turned his face into the sun and closed his eyes while four sets of tiny hands patted his back and rubbed his head.

"Look," one of the little boys said. "He has a rainbow collar. Maybe he's a leprechaun."

"No, stupid," a girl who was only slightly bigger than him scolded. "It means he's gay." She then turned to me. "I have a gay uncle. He wears all sorts of rainbow stuff. Is your dog gay?"

I looked up the nearest grown-up, a woman who was standing back smiling at me.

"I don't think so," I replied. "But his dad and papa are."

They all nodded and proceeded to tell me about all the gay people they knew, all while the woman laughed and listened.

It's a good world and I'm thankful not only to be a part of it, but that my good red dog takes me out into every day.

For What It's Worth

Today is the day.

Last night on Facebook I posted a comment inspired by Kergan Edwards-Stout and an article he wrote recently regarding his friends who were supporting Mitt Romney.

 

I thought long and hard about writing that. It's not easy to remove people from your life but if those people believe I am somehow inferior to them and don't deserve the same rights they enjoy and take for granted there really isn't any question about what needs to be done. I have no room in my life for such people.

Duncan and I have walked many miles together with you tagging along. He is a wise friend, perhaps the wisest I've ever been fortunate enough to share my life and travels with. His love is unconditional and uncompromising and he has taught me far more than I could recount in this post but his example shines through every moment we spend together. He treats everyone equally, something I strive to do every day. But I realized that my momentum must be forward and there is simply not enough room in my life to bring along those who disagree with the direction I'm traveling. If you are one of those people I'm going to ask that you smile one more time at us and then travel your own path. I'm going to ask you to leave. And perhaps one day, when your eyes have opened and you're truly ready to learn what it is I've spent all these hours writing about, we'll meet again. But until then, this has to be good-bye. Our paths must diverge.

I hate to lose anyone but my life and the rights I am entitled to are just too important to spend with others who do not share the same vision. That vision is one of unity and respect for all, for equal treatment under the law, not just for LGBT people, but for women and their bodies, the elderly, for people of all colors and backgrounds, for the poor, for children who seek a good education, for the sick and needy, the disenfranchised, for everyone who wants to realize their own version of the American dream. Barack Obama is the man who can guide us there, set us firmly on that path. His opponent and his followers do not share that vision.

Today I am asking you to vote to reelect the President and to ensure a brighter future for this country. I am asking you to do the hardest thing that can be asked of an individual: to do the right thing, the selfless thing. I am asking you to rise up to the potential of this country and to put the past behind you.

Go vote for President Obama. And when you're done Duncan and I will see you out there under the blue skies. We'll be waiting.

Endorsement

Tomorrow is the big day. 

It's been difficult not to think about, not only because of the endless stream of ads on television, but because each and every time Duncan and I venture out we are forced to navigate an army of signs in yards and adorning the bumpers and windows of cars on the streets (my own included). But that is not the only reason I have been thinking about it.

This election directly impacts my life and the people I love. This election is about more than which candidate is the handsomest or speaks the best. This election is about very real issues, such as health care, education, equal pay, a woman's right to choose, improving the economy, and of course, the one closest to me, LGBT rights. A lot of progress has been made to improve the lives of so many people these past four years, and to fix the mess the idiocy of the last administration left for this one to clean up. It's easy for people to overlook the accomplishments President Obama has made, especially for the morons who watch FOX "News" and allow others to do their thinking for them. It's easy to believe the Republicans who would have you believe he has done nothing to improve our lives, especially when his opponents in the Republican party worked so hard to obstruct every ounce of legislation he sought to push through Congress. It's far too easy to be a sheep and follow along without ever breaking stride and doing what is honestly right.

It took fourteen years (and a world war) for this country to recover from the Great Depression. You'd have to be an utter imbecile to believe the President could accomplish a complete recovery from the mess of Bush's Great Recession. And now we have this jerk, Mitt Romney, a supposed business man, who believes he can do it when he couldn't even manage Massachusetts when he was governor. Do not trust him. His devotion is to his church and his wealthy friends, not you and not me.

I love my partner. I have loved him for the past seventeen years and believe with all my soul we deserve the same rights married people everywhere have. I do not want to fear what would happen if one of us got sick or died. I want to be able to stand up in front of my friends and family and celebrate our relationship. I want to be treated equally. Those things will not happen under Romney. Rather, every gain we have made will be erased and soon we'll be further back than we were under Bush.

Four years ago I received a letter from my good friend David, who wrote:

This election has inflamed the best and the worst of this nation. We will, each of us, vote according to our character and collectively define the character of the Unites States. The election booth will become a sort of civic confessional in which we exercise our faith in this country. I vote tomorrow. I have waited a long time, and it will feel good to finally have my say.

I am asking you to vote according to your character in the hope that your vote will help define the character of this country. Vote for progress and equality, for the health of this nation, for a woman's right to choose and to be paid equally. Vote to reelect President Obama. If you're a woman who has the tiniest amount of self-respect, who supports Planned Parenthood and the good work they do over a wide range of issues, especially breast cancer prevention, if you're gay or love someone who is gay and want to see us treated equally and fairly, if you have children in college or about to enter college, if you want to ensure all Americans have access to health care, if you believe in helping those who are less fortunate, if you want to continue to see the economy recover and not slip back into the desolation of the Bush administration, if you have any morals whatsoever, vote Barack Obama.

Do the right thing. Do the patriotic thing. Do the moral thing. There are no questions. It's obvious.