Dear Proposition 8 supporters - You lost because you lied

Dear supporters of Proposition 8,

Please do not take my words as gloating but rather a clear and concise analysis of why you may be feeling dejected now over the overturning of Proposition 8.

In 2008, when you won, many of you stood with your arms raised in defiance of the bitter tears you caused in the lgbt community.

What a difference two years makes indeed.

But let me explain to you why you lost today. It’s not complicated, but rather simple.

Your side lost because you lied.

Oh I know that folks on your side will whine about “activist judges who make laws rather than interpret them,” but let’s be real here.

Your entire narrative has been a lie from the beginning.

Folks on your side, such as Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization for Marriage, the Family Research Council, and the rest of the pseudo defenders of morality will probably whine about how you all have been unfairly labeled as “bigots.” And I am sure that they will point out that every time there has been a public vote on marriage equality, the lgbt community has always lost.

But they will conveniently omit how these victories were attained. You won’t hear about how they invoked images of gay boogeymen molesting children in false ads nor will they admit to telling lies about children supposedly being taught about gay sex.

You won’t hear them admit to exploiting people’s unconscious fears and ignorance of the lgbt community in order to spin outrageous scenarios of what could happen should lgbts be allowed to marry.

And don’t be surprised by this. Those like Gallagher will never admit to the depths they stooped to win not only in California but other places like Maine.

But there is a reason why this country has checks and balances. And there is a reason why people can’t arbitrarily vote on the rights of others without having to defend this vote in the logical arena of courts, where you can’t invoke panic by proverbially yelling fire in a crowded theatre.

In the courts, you must defend your position. And in the long run, you couldn’t. Or rather many of you wouldn’t. Again, the specters of gay bogeymen were invoked as your leaders spun false images of avenging hordes for their reluctance to be questioned in the courts about the unprovoked lies they said in pulpits, in speeches, and on commercials.

This time, it didn’t work. The court saw through the phony claims and realized something, which I hope that many of you now do - you have no logical reason to either deny us the right to love or to deny us the ability to protect the ones whom we love.

But please don’t think that even though we are celebrating, the lgbt community is naive to think that this ends the struggle for marriage equality.

We know this is just the beginning of a long fight to attain something that should have been ours from the beginning.

But that’s okay.

We are a community who learn from our past mistakes. At times we lose, but we learn to adapt and we eventually win.

So bring it on. We are not afraid.

Related post:

Message to the religious right - this isn't just about marriage, it's about history

Another perspective on the Dan Choi controversy and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Again, when the Prop 8 decision is handed down, this post will probably go on the memory dust heap. Bear with me because when it does come down, I will be at work. I will comment on it when I get home. But until then . . .

Between Floating and Leeching: The Financial Struggle of the LGBT Activist - I HATE lgbt internal strife and do my best to avoid talking about it. But this situation with Dan Choi isn't going away. Still, I sometimes with the lgbt community would follow the lead of the black community in having a reluctance to put their/our business out in the street.

WND: Anti-Gay Hate Groups "Can Enrich Any Neighborhood" - Let's play a game, boys and girls. How many Paul Cameronesque lies can you find in this World Net Daily monstrosity.

Want to Win? Get Back to Basics - Words of wisdom from Wayne Besen, one of my inspirations for creating this blog.

The Anti-Gay Litmus Test? - An interesting article which makes some good points.

Gay book pulled at library, activists stage protests - They have my full support.

Kevin Jennings comments on attempts to destroy his reputation

Anything posted this morning will probably go on the memory dust heap after Judge Walker in California renders his Proposition 8 decision. Just one note friends - regardless of whether we win or lose, remember that the battle will not be over. We will win when we stay for the long haul.

Obama appointee in the Department of Education, Kevin Jennings, finally commented about the nasty war of innuendo by the religious right and other conservatives last year and earlier this year which sought to label him as an "anti-religion pedophile who induces children to read porn and have sex with older men:"

Speaking Tuesday to a packed room of progressive interns finishing up a summer in D.C., Kevin Jennings – now serving as the assistant deputy secretary for safe and drug-free schools in the U.S. Department of Education – easily slipped back into an old role, that of educator.

When addressing the interns – some of whom were there from the organization founded by Jennings, the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) – the administration official whose role has made him a lightning rod for conservatives did not hold back from speaking forcefully about LGBT and other progressive political issues in his 30-minute address Aug. 3.

. . . During and after his speech, Jennings several times referenced the extensive attacks against him by Fox News – and the work of Media Matters for America to correct those false statements.

Calling them ''some of the most homophobic attacks we've ever seen in this country,'' Alliance for Justice President Nan Aron – whose group organized the event – said, ''Kevin fought back and won.''

After his speech, Jennings expanded on the reason why he didn't back down in the face of the criticism from the right.

''I, as the leading proponent of stopping bullying in America, I was not going to allow myself to be bullied out of a job,'' he said. ''There was no way. It was not going to happen.

''I've been preaching for 25 years that bullying is not okay. There was no way I could then say, 'Okay, well, I'll let you bully me.'''

Referencing President Theodore Roosevelt's ''in the arena'' speech in which the then-president told his audience to ''strive to do the deeds'' even if they wound up failing, Jennings told the interns, ''Do not be that cold or timid soul. Get in the arena.

''You won't win every time. You may find yourself like me with 1.1 million Google hits, most of which are negative – thanks to the Fox News Network – but get in there and fight.''

Now I know some are ready to use Jennings's words as yet another way to be critical of Obama's slow progress on lgbt rights, but allow me to play devil's advocate.

Before pointing the finger at Obama, how many in the lgbt community have taken Jennings's words about fighting to heart? And I certainly don't mean standing in a street and holding a sign that reads "No More Mr. Nice Guy" for two hours with the expectations that such activity will undo the 30 plus years that the religious right have invested in demonizing the lgbt community through phony words, studies, and talking points.

Instead of simply labeling the opposition as "haters," how many of us have invested time and effort in proving our points not just to those who support us - although that is very important - but also to others not familiar with the ins and outs of the struggle for lgbt equality.

Before we point fingers at Obama for not doing everything we want, maybe we need to ask ourselves are we doing everything that needs to be done.

Related post:

The War on Kevin Jennings - Chronology of a Failed Smear Campaign