new hope but still a long road

Today is a great day in American history, the history of the world. The face of America has changed to one that greater represents who we all are as a nation of many. Tears came to my eyes last night after watching Barack Obama make his winning speech. He embodies the hope I have for this country, to turn away from failed policies to a brighter future.

This morning when I woke my happiness over the events from the night before became bitter sweet. California, the second state in the union for recognize the full rights of its Gay and Lesbian citizens wrote discrimination into its constitution under the guise of protecting the "family." Yet, how does protecting "family" then mean tearing apart the family of Gay and Lesbian couples? Are not Gays and Lesbians part of families or are we as a group separate from the greater nucleus of humanity?? It makes me wonder.

Social justice is not easy to create and it will be a long and hard road until every American is recognized and treated the same under the law. It is my belief though that in electing Obama we are sending a signal that we are finally on the path to true equality of all people. Brave citizens are already challenging the discrimination of Proposition 8 as I write this. We must be a bold unified people and fight for the rights of others and not just ourselves. When discrimination is allowed it does not just hurt the group that it wishes to remove from the larger social structure of America, but it damages all Americans. Hopefully with a leader like Barack Obama we as a nation can come together instead of separate, and remove hurdles that bar equality.