Yesterday, I was feeling majorly irritated at almost everything. Â Here’s a couple things I posted on Facebook that kinda sum things up:
I make it a point not to live in a protected bubble, not to shy away from the hard realities of the world, whether they directly effect me or not.. but it’s hard sometimes to keep up the optimism when police officers beat a mentally ill homeless man to death, and when transgender women of color are killed just for being and no one in the media cares, or when yet another story comes out of some asshat somewhere declaring that women or queers or trans people or colored people or whoever is not quite good enough to have equal rights and that their religion backs up that opinion. And that the founding fathers didn’t really mean equal rights for *all*, just some of the all — membership of which is determined by the asshats, of course. It makes me weary and sick in my soul. And of course, it all effects me, even if I’m not a person of color or a citizen in a state banning equal rights. It effects all of us because we’re humans and the personal or institutional degradation of any one of us is an attack on all of us. Our collective humanity is under attack, all over the world. Sometimes, it’s hard to breathe outside of the bubble.
And then this, while a lot of folks were putting on party hats and virtually slapping the POTUS’s back and envisioning him as a hero for riding in like a superhero on a rainbow colored unicorn by FINALLY making a statement in support of marriage equality:
While it is good news that President Obama is going public about personally embracing marriage equality for all, I would have been much more excited and energized if this announcement had come 2 or more years ago. I wonder about the difference it might have made to have him taking a strong leadership role for our civil rights from the beginning. He still believes states should be deciding who gets the privilege of civil marriage and we’ve had ample opportunity to see how that works.
And I’m thinking beyond marriage equality. That’s just a symptom of the rampant disease of bigotry, homophobia, transphobia and ‘other-ism’ being embraced by a lot of loud mouthed ‘leaders’. Where they lead, others follow as is obvious by the hostility, violence and discrimination so many of us still face. I’m hungry for true leadership, the kind that doesn’t wait for an issue to have momentum or popular support. The leaders I most admire are the ones who step out from the crowd and speak the truth without apology and regardless of the effect it will have on votes or popularity. I’m still wishing for that kind of President.
I’m not the only one who isn’t starting a parade to celebrate Obama’s announcement. Â There’s a post on Gawker right now with a much less diplomatic response, Barack Obama’s Bullshit Gay Marriage Announcement. Â And I’m seeing more of the same both in online media and in conversations with friends.
Lukewarm feelings, ya know?
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