Maybe the vote in Maine can be turned around & used as a galvanizing moment in the fight for equal rights?

Probably not. That will only happen if people, ya know, actually do something about backwards thinking. Will the guy who decided to make today “National Gay Day” feel this strongly the next time a vote comes along that wants to deny everyone the same rights? Maybe. However history shows that’s certainly not the case. Starting a meme is fuckin’ easy. You’re preaching to the choir. Affecting real change is what’s needed, but it ain’t easy. People will yell & shout via their blogs today and then the volume will fade away. Who has the fortitude to keep this issue on everyone’s radar? Certainly not the mainstream media. Do you see any mention on the front page of CNN about the vote in Maine? Nope, of course you don’t. Let’s also not overlook the fact that a pro-gay marriage governor lost in NJ as well. His opponent, now Gov.-elect Christie, is opposed to it. Any legislation that was gaining momentum will die on the vine unfortunately.

So, what to do? Well, start by remembering the feeling you had today when you heard the news. How pissed off you were that the opposition was better organized, felt more passionate, & flat outhustledspent you. You being anyone who simply wants to allow everyone to have the same opportunity to build a family. What it boils down to in these votes is that the anti-gay contingent scares people in the middle. The people who are apathetic about their state or local politics.

Legalize marijuana dispensaries? Sure sounds like a good idea, but I’m not driving to a poll to vote on it. Gay marriage? Eh, who cares? Doesn’t affect me, my wife, my three kids, dog, & two cats. But wait, Charlie, the guy who lives on the corner who has the kick ass party for X-mas & the block party BBQ on the 4th of July says it’s no good. Not.At.All. Says it’s going too far to allow everyone to be afforded the same rights. He says everyone needs to stop it, no matter what it takes. Sure, I’ll put the sign up in my yard to support the repeal of that measure. It’s the least I can do. Definitely don’t want to upset the apple cart.

That’s the mindset of the people in California & Maine who swung the vote. We need to change that mindset. Don’t wait for someone else to get their shit together & assume that they will “figure it all out”. Assume that people are ignorant. It’s a very safe assumption. Then you won’t be dumbfounded when shit like this goes down. “But wait,I started a meme dude. A few hundred people liked it and reblogged it. I don’t understand why people are still voting against equal rights”. Well while you are bouncing ideas off of a crowd that is 100% in agreement with you, the opposition is spending $$$ & making their voices heard outside the Internet. They are talking to the people who actually vote in these states.

Educate yourselves by forming a strategy, find out where the next fight is, and. Get. Involved.