The news and pictures out of Connecticut this morning were extra meaningful for me in light of what went down in California last week -- maybe because of what went down in California last week. When the CT Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in October, it barely registered on my radar. But since last week I've been counting the days till the ruling went into the effect. Just so Massachusetts wouldn't be the only state anymore. One is a lonely number. And one feels vulnerable.
What hit me so hard about California (and why I think it'll be marked as a turning point in the gay civil rights movement) was that it was the first time gay people were stripped of an existing, active and in-use right. Lots of other states have passed legislation to prevent marriage equality. But it's far more meaningful and devastating to have it and then to have it ripped away. And it's a wake-up call.
Until last week I'd grown complacent. That's why the ruling in CT barely registered for me. I thought being on the right side of history was enough, because the right side always ultimately prevails. What I guess I failed to realize until the loss of California (and it was a big loss) is that the right side doesn't prevail inevitably. Change doesn't come merely by expecting it. I think I'm not alone in realizing this now.
So today should be celebrated. Two is a glorious number.
No comments:
Post a Comment