A Brief Note

On the passage of California's Proposition 8, the constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman:

This is a setback, but we have time on our side. I truly believe that we are moving ever closer to gaining equal marriage rights. Don't believe the right-wing. We are winning. Remember when we were in the closet? When coming out as gay was the big hurdle? People don't even care about that anymore.

Here's why I think we are going to win:

We are coming out with our relationships. We are having commitment ceremonies, and we are inviting the world to attend them. We are having children and sending them to schools and having play dates. We are coming out as families.

This is the most important thing: we are coming out as people.

When the world sees that our homosexuality doesn't define us as persons, that we are just the same as anybody else, then they understand that it shouldn't be the reason for denying us our fundamental rights.

Here's my call to action: you've already come out to your friends, family and co-workers. Now, when you have a party, a play date, a ceremony, a shower, a performance, a sports event, anything that you may invite just your gay-affirming friends to, invite someone else you may haven't thought of as accepting.

Let them see us. Let them see how we are just like them, and it will chip away at their resistance.

And having a great hors d'oeuvre plate and fancy cocktails can only help.