400,440 votes needed

As of this writing (9:45 EST Wednesday 11/5/08) The votes were still being counted and will certainly be recounted at least once due to the close numbers on California’s Prop8 ballot measure. Currently it looks bleak for those of us who were hoping for a defeat with 5,125,752 votes FOR and 4,725,313 AGAINST the measure. There are still 5% of precincts who have not reported in yet, and those all important absentee ballots to count so while unlikely for a defeat, it is still mathematically possible at this point.

So what happens to the movement if Prop8 passes? Will it signal an end to Gay Marriage in America with 28 states now banning it outright in their State Constitutions?


I spent most of my morning scouring the net for updates on how the vote counting on Prop8 was going, if there was any hope left for a defeat of this hateful measure. I ran the gamut of emotions from excitement to disappointment and finally defeat as the outlook seems to be almost in the bag for passing this thing. I have not given up all hope for a miracle defeat found in those yet uncounted absentee ballots and unreported precincts, but that flame is not as bright as it once was. I have gradually come to terms with the reality that this battle may have been lost and California, long thought of as our Leftist Left State has gone conservative on this one divisive issue. It saddens me to see this happen, particularly in a state I believed was open minded enough to see through the scare tactics used by those who support ending same-sex marriage, and for an hour or two this morning I had lost hope in one day marring my partner of 12.5 years.

In my frenzy to get information about how Prop8 was doing out west I glassed over every news story I ran into about the Presidential election that also took place yesterday. I already knew Obama had won, I watched CNN call it at almost exactly 11:02pm EST while trying to find someplace to give me information about state ballot measures also up for decision. I was and am an Obama supporter and seeing him come out the victor in his race made me a little less fearful of the next four years once we end the ERROR on 1/20/09. However, it was only moments ago that I realized what it really means.

It was not all that long ago that persons of color, and by that I mean ALL whose skin is not lily white regardless of ethnic origin or racial mixtures, were fighting for their equality in this country. They were denied entrance to businesses, admission to school, employment, and housing in certain parts of this country. In time, they would change the laws and views of the rest of the country and gradually gain acceptance in most parts of the country. While their civil rights have come a long way, there are still cases of discrimination and violence against this sect of the population daily all across the country, yet we just collectively elected a mixed race, non-Caucasian, young male to be our nations leader. How is this possible? One word answers that question, HOPE. We, those who supported and voted for Obama are hoping for change, hoping for a better tomorrow, hoping for someone to stop the bleeding of jobs and money from a badly beaten economy. We were inspired by his speeches, his willingness to address the people on their level, to walk through the rough streets of our inner cities and ask it’s residents for one simple thing, to register to vote. He did not ask them to vote for him, he asked them to VOTE, to let their voice be heard on Election Day, and to stand up for something they believed in. In doing so, he showed compassion for them, their situations, and their lives, something that resonated with millions of voters nation wide and brought about his eventual victory.

It is this hope I am clinging to today, tomorrow, and every day after until OUR time comes. If a country can elect a man like Barack Obama, without seeming to care about his race or ethnicity, but instead voting for his ideals and his message of hope, then not all hope is lost in our fight for equality. One day change will come. One day DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) will fall, one day I will be able to legally marry my spouse in any state of my choosing and claim the rights I am entitled to. One Day!