summer_jackel | More on Queerness and Civil Rights

Oh, this is awesome. The New Jersey legislature is writing civil rights for gay folk into a law permitting gay marriage. (Thanks

corpsefairy for the link).

This creates a conflict in state law with California, adding another big piece to the mounting pile of interstate conflicts over this issue. Attention from the Supreme Court seems likely to happen very soon. Civil unions are basically an example of separate but equal thinking, and parallels to the other civil rights cases are painfully clear. When I consider the historical significance of this, I'm a bit awed and, honestly, a little scared.

My lady friend and I saw Milk the other night. It's a documentary about Harvey Milk that was not only important and timely but actually a really well-done and enjoyable film. I reccommend it a lot.

Seeing this got me thinking about and appreciating how far we've come, how people have suffered for a world where any of us can be safely out of the closet, and how much worse it was in upsettingly recent times. As well as how important it still is to work toward equal rights, of course. Watching it, I experienced a bit of the bewildered thankfulness I felt the first time I read Stone Butch Blues. This is the realization that a big piece of the life I get to enjoy resulted from courage and suffering in the face of absolutely awful circumstances by a group of people I knew pretty much nothing about. I should warn you that said book is completely dark and heartbreaking, but it's also beautifully written and worthwhile.

I've never considered being openly out to be any kind of political act, although that's a very privileged position since I'm self-employed and live in a liberal area. It's kind of a big deal that anyone gets to have that kind of blase attitude, and I suppose is one of the things we're working for. But damn...knowing history is important.

EDIT: I didn't even know that it was call in gay to work day when I wrote this. Neat.