Yesterday, a bill providing legal civil marriage for same-sex couples that had come further in the Maryland legislature than ever before, failed to reach a vote in the House of Delegates, effectively killing the bill for this calendar year. (This entry will be post dated)
For most things, even those that I am very passionate about, I am able to compose my thoughts and speak about them in a rational way. But when I think about this, my brain turns to mush. I can’t quite describe how it felt to sit in a room full of same-sex couples and their families and hear hate speech directed towards them. I can’t quite describe how it felt to see two delegates, about whom I care deeply and who championed this cause with ever fiber of their being, greet their friends and supporters with defeated hearts. I can’t quite describe how it felt to be an ally in a sea of supporters and know that of all those people, I probably felt the least bad about what had just happened.
I can’t quite explain why I’m a straight ally. I don’t have a gay sibling, parent or child. I’ve never witnessed a hate crime and I live in a liberal city with a fairly open gay population. I can’t quite tell you why it means so much to me, but it does. And today, there are just no words.
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