future hero, vol. 4

Some LGBTers have criticized Barack Obama for not doing enough for LGBT rights since he was elected.  I mean, I'm sure I was never one of those people.  I mean, there is the [racist?] queer blog, Queerty, which I used to follow religiously, until I realized that it's a bunch of privileged white, gay men who have nothing better to do than to bitch and moan about things without using spellcheck.  Queerty is not a Barack fan.  Then, there's Pam's House Blend, who is one of the leading LGBT blogs in the country, and a blogger that I had the pleasure to meet at Equality NC's Day of Action and grew to respect - until I realized that she's just as bad as FOX News in her extremism.  For example, she complains about Barack Obama's inaction on LGBT issues tirelessly, and when he finally does something noteworthy, sure, she reports it, but without the dramatic flair of her negative posts.
Now that I wrote that entire paragraph, I just want to erase it, because it sets a very negative tone for an otherwise positive entry.

Today is a gigantic day in history for LGBT Americans.  Today, our leadership recognized and took steps to protect us in ways our country has never seen before.  Today, I'm proud to be from this country.

Today, Barack Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes bill, which was attached to a defense spending bill.  All irony aside, it's really an incredible moment.  Gay people, transgender people, and people who don't identify with either of those qualifiers but may be perceived to be that way, have greater protection than they did yesterday in America.  To all the haters who think Obama does nothing, or has not done enough for the LGBT community (including myself a few months ago), I say:

I watched the National Equality March on Washington D.C. earlier this month, and kicked myself for buying into the preaching that marches do nothing.  If nothing else, marches energize the base to do great things in the future.  I have faith in myself as someone who can harness the energy gathered from a march and use it for great things.  I'm just pissed I let myself believe that marching is an ineffective form of activism.  And it's not just because I wasn't there to see Lady GaGa in person say the following lines:

Honestly, fuck the haters who say that marching and protesting are not valid or effective forms of activism.  They are what propelled me to my current state of activism, and they ignited a spark within me to create change.  I know that if it worked for me, it can work for someone else.  Because as unique and special as I am, I can't be the only one inspired by such things.

All I did was e-mail my legislator.  Seriously, that's all I did.  I won't be so naive to believe that my single e-mail created a whirlwind of change.  But I do know that I spoke my voice and it was heard.  I know so by the form letter that Senator Kay Hagan sent me in e-mail with ridiculously robotic language acknowledging her support.  The point is, she supported this legislation.  To be totally honest, the fact that a robot replied to me is not that big of a deal - I'm just glad that the robot knew I supported the Hate Crimes bill that would protect me and fellow LGBT Americans.  And the robot hadn't, I would have short-circuited it and found a way to contact Kay face-to-face to ask her just why the h-e-double-hockey-sticks she didn't think I was worth protecting.  Luckily, it never came to that.

I am so proud, and so thankful for this day.  This day gives me hope for the future of America.  Me, little old me, with my eternal optimism, is so excited to see the day when more and more legislation gets passed to protect, foster and nurture the growth of me and my gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, and transgender brothers and sisters.  As one of my friends so eloquently stated on my Facebook status today, "we're on our way."  I truly believe that.  More than I ever have before.  Thank you, Judy and Dennis Shepard for your tireless and important work.  Thank you, Barack Obama, for having the decency to respect and accept our community.  Thank you, Congress, for doing the right thing.

And thank you, to my community, for having the courage to be yourselves and demand respect for yourselves in a world that doesn't always guarantee it.