With all of these disheartening results coming in from the proposition fights, I think the time is ripe to revive our fight for the Equal Rights Amendment. Only a change at the federal level can turn back these horrendous laws. Fighting state by state to stop and/or overturn these initiatives is an energy and money drainer that returns every two to four years.
And this time we need to stop it from being crippled by limiting timetables. We have the next four (some say eight) years to move it through congress and into the states. There are states that have already passed it so we can build on the wins of this campaign and quickly move our energies toward the states needed for ratitification.
I believe same sex marriage and the right of GLBT folks to adopt can be insured by the adoption of the ERA. I am willing to listen if someone can prove to me that I am wrong in my analysis.
Let’s do it right this time. Yes we can!
Posted in
Submitted by katrina on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 1:44pm.
From my house, I can hear screams of OBAMA!
Guns are heard firing from all directions, fireworks even!
Salon.com has called it already.
But the real test is what is happening on the streets of my black inner city neighborhood.
And oh my god, it is morning finally in America.
Posted in
Submitted by katrina on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 12:08am.
So I voted today. There were two people ahead of me in the D - H line. As I waited, I watched as a Latino couple went from being completely upset to reassured as there name was finally found on the rolls. It seems they initially waited in the wrong line. The confusion was due to differing interpretations of what was the first letter of their last name. A Latino poll worker calmly figured it out, and peace was restored. And then just as quickly I was first in line, signed my name, received my ballot and was ushered to my booth. It took less than 10 minutes from the moment I entered till I retraced my steps back out. Kind of anti-climatic in many ways. Besides, my hometown always votes correctly, IMNSHO.
But reading the news online occasioned some moments of sheer wonder. The first is an amusing story from yesterday's Washington Post. I laughed out loud at the last line, but read it all the way through to get the joke.
The second was a photo essay of how the election is being covered around the world. The images spoke volumes of how much our vote affects people who have no voice in the process.
Ishtar asked me if it felt momentous when I cast my vote. I said no. The big moment comes tonight, where I am pretty sure folks all over this chocolate city will be partying like a mofo! And then and only then will all the emotions of this election rush forward and fill my heart.
Maybe I will buy some champagne on the way home from the vet. But right now, I am filled with guarded optimism. My hopes and dreams have been crushed all too often in national elections. I am waiting till the fat lady sings.
And this is one fat lady who keeping her trap shut till the voting is done.
Posted in
Submitted by katrina on Tue, 11/04/2008 - 12:38pm.
As my workload has increased over these last several months, I have become truly aware of how my personal life has taken a real beating. My home is slowly starting to resemble a stereotypical bachelor pad with dirty laundry, dishes and mail everywhere. I am thinking I need some serious help.
I need someone who considers taking care of me as a life priority. Maybe what I need is a nanny. I need someone looking out for my health, welfare and sanity. Maybe I need a helpmate. I need to have someone in my life that can anticipate my needs and account for them routinely.
What I really need … is a wife.
I was thinking about this perennial wish of mine the other day when Ishtar reminded me of something I said earlier this year about same sex marriage.
I had noted that just like all social justice movements, the fight for gays and lesbians to marry could very well mostly benefit other sectors of society, primarily straight women.
And how would straight women benefit from same sex marriage you ask? Women could marry women and presto chango, it could change the meaning and context of single motherhood. Well, yeah, they would no longer be single. But more importantly, they would have access to all the breaks given to married couples, insure that their children were cared for the way they wished if anything happened to them, and if one of them had access to better healthcare all their children would get access to it.
But something else changes too. For those of us with ex husbands, families and in-laws whose politics, religious tolerance or value system differs greatly from our own, why not just marry your best friend forever (BFF). This way, the person who inherits, gets your pension and access to your 401K is the one who has had your back way longer than most straight marriages! We could literally take care of each other long into our later years.
And this would take a leap in understanding, since marriage we would have to admit, need not be a sexual union. It would become a joining of hearts, values and commitments. And if straight women could have their cake and eat it too, all bets are off in terms of strict gender roles.
And that is ultimately what I believe lies below the surface in the fears of the fundies of all stripes. Because anything that can potentially give women freedom, choice and escape from the rule of the fathers (patriarchy) must seem very scary.
Because if straight women began marrying each other, our culture could experience a huge shift in gender relations. One forecast we could make is that marriages might last longer overall and possibly the divorce rate would decline. Oh sure women would divorce each other, but the frequency might be less if sex was taken out of the equation. And what effect this might have on birth rates is a big unknown. But women all over this country might begin to experience a kind of freedom that we can only imagine
In the mean time, I am polishing up my personal ad. Because, increasingly, it seems like same-sex marriage is eventually “coming to your town.” And I had better be ready for when it hits DC.
SBF ISO WIFE - writer, teacher, mystic, poet, web designer and priestess seeks SF (or SM) for friendship and companionship plus help with household management, personal correspondence, and nutritional care. Relationship could lead to possible marriage. Sexual relations not required. Must be okay with alternative religions, politics, and life styles. Republicans and/or Evangelicals need not apply.
So whatcha think? Any takers?
Katrina
Posted in
Submitted by katrina on Mon, 10/27/2008 - 8:00am.
this post is giving me major chills.
Blessings.
A student of mysticism said to his teacher, "I'm confused. Yesterday you told me the way I should searchy. Today you told my friend a very different way. Which is correct?"
The teacher responded, "Some people veer off the path to the left and I tell them 'move to the right.' Others stray too far to the right, so I say 'move to the left."
I'm sorry to hear of Squeaky's passing. I know she and you had the very best that humans and their animal companions can have. May she live in your fond memories.
Love,
Macha
I'm so, so sorry to hear of Squeaky's passing. Much love and healing to you.
Hail Squeaky!
She was a very fine cat, indeed.