So I haven’t said much about the recent US election, but in a way, I feel there isn’t much more to add that hasn’t already been said. I, personally, am devastated, as is my husband (perhaps he more so). I am fearful for the future, because we elected someone with no experience, let alone his inconsistent and often derogatory remarks, who, with the cooperation of the rest of the Republican controlled government, may undo vast amounts of progress.
I have been encouraged by all the support that I see all over gay kinky twitter and my (non-kinky) Facebook. At the same time, in a way, I think that’s part of the problem and how this happened. In this very social media connected world, we tend to only connect with others that feel the same way we do.
This gives a wonderful sense of community and support, but it’s also a bit of a false sense of security. We’ve shut out a great deal of other viewpoints…. viewpoints that came across very clearly on Tuesday. It tends to make us forget that there are vast communities that don’t think the way we do, and are in fact completely against all that we treasure.
So in an effort to find a positive in this, I say that it’s a good wake up call to remember that there still, even in this day and age, a great deal of opposition to the gay community, women, minorities, ethnic groups. I personally think they’ve always been there, but have been largely flying under the radar, because they knew the world at large didn’t support them. Now they believe they do have a leader, and will be more vocal.
But this should embolden us to be more vocal as well. To not take anything for granted, because there is always someone else who wants to take it away. Religious groups have had a great deal of freedom for centuries, and for a Christian bakery to be suddenly told they can’t refuse service to a gay couple because of their beliefs is one of the first times they felt threatened.
People who feel threatened either retreat or become rabid and vicious. We’re now seeing the latter. And yes, it may get worse before it gets better. But as Hilary herself said, when they go low, we go high. This should only inspire us to be more united and realize that we have to be strong and fight back. Survive as best you can, and endure to make the world a better place by your own actions.
At the risk of being a bit cheesy, the message and sentiment of the song very much applies here, especially if you imagine Trump as the unwanted lover. After all, with some hope, he will be gone in 4 years. And besides, it’s a classic gay song that’s a great way to cheer up any gay man, right?
On a more local, positive note, I am happy to report that Prop 60 did not pass. This was a law that would have required porn companies in California to use condoms. The worst part of this proposition was the way they intended to enforce it… any person in California would have been able to report any site they found, essentially giving every citizen in the entire state a way to shut down companies. Should it have come to pass, local porn sites would have likely shut out any California visitor to protect themselves from being sued. Happily, we are still able to view our porn out here.
