gay red state resident: I'm staying

[vajraroshana]

Don't get me wrong. I feel like getting the hell out of Alabama, but I'm not going to. I'm not going to be intimidated out of the place I call home.

Me and my partner have been together here for 18 years. That's nearly half of my 39 years.

My life is here in Alabama. Despite all the bullshit and the palpable homophobia, I still love it here.

My partner was once married and had a son in their marriage. Now *we* have a family. His son was 14 years old when we got together; now he has a family; it's my family also.

I'm not leaving. I did want to leave, but there are too many reasons (not the least economic) not to flee. I refuse to give in to the paranoid fear that we're going to be rounded up and sent to concentration camps or prisons. It isn't head-in-the-sandism, it's reality. These people aren't that bad. No matter what you may have heard or even what I believe in my darkest fears, that isn't going to happen.

They're just not going to accept "gay marriage". I can accept that. *We* can accept that. We have ironclad legal documents (powers of attorney, executor of estate, etc.) that can guarantee us rights even without the "civil union" stuff.

I've been through serious bullshit, including coming out when I was a teenager and having my dad pull out his gun and holding it up to my head and telling me "No son of mine is going to be a goddamned queer". After that all this other bullshit is easy, let me tell you. 59 million people voting because of "moral reasons" which equates to "no gay marriage" isn't going to make me leave the home I love. No way!

And we will not be the Democratic Party's scapegoat. No way.

The sky isn't falling.

There are many other issues that are easily more important to me than my gayness. I don't give a flying fuck if anyone "accepts" me or not; even less whether some right-wing assholes want to see me quickly go to hell or whatever.

I have fought (and been a part of) environmental issues here in N. Alabama. And we've won. That means a lot to me. That will always mean a lot to me.

I've contributed in substantial ways to civil rights issues that have nothing to do with my gayness. And they've been successful, or at least somewhat fruitful. Not to mention the fact that I've been very successful for many years at enriching the cultural landscape of this place -- and I hope to for many more years to come.

I will continue to do so. I will continue as I always have to contribute to the betterment of my fellow Alabamans and country. I'm a liberal, and proud, through and through. And this state I love, even though many of you may hate it is my battleground and my beloved home.

And I will stay in Alabama. This is my home. As horrible as it might seem to some of you blue-staters it's my home and I still love it. I'm not moving!!!

May you all have the courage to stay here and contribute! We need you and your contributions. Life isn't easy anywhere. At least a life worth living.

I'm not giving up and I hope all of you will consider doing the same!

Love and hope to you all from a simple gay man in Alabama.

[billyoc]

1. Ah, shit, there goes my emigration

plan. I guess I'll stick around too. I was *this* close to emigrating to Ireland, but after that story, I have pathetically little to complain about here in Manhattan. Thanks for your story. :)

[vajraroshana]

3. I'm not sure but I detect a bit of sarcasm in your responce

Paranoia is running high here, so I'm not going to belabor the point.

I've worked hard on preserving some of our old-growth forests and we have won some hard-fought battles. I haven't actually spent much time in them and have wanted to and now I need to recharge the batteries, so to speak. I'm planning on a long trip into the Bankhead Forest old-growth in the next few weeks. We saved much of the really old-growth part, yet I have only spent a few day trips into it. I saw old sycamores that were 15 feet in diameter and some tulip poplars that were nearly 18 feet in diameter at their base. And some large-leaf magnolias -- ancient rare trees that make you feel you are in an ancient age -- that were huge beyond belief.

And I've worked with people of all persuasions and political beliefs to protect these national treasures for posterity.

Peace to all.

[JusticeForAll]

6. I wouldn't be paranoid

People in even the most blue of states want to leave.

I'm queer in a purplish-red state and plan to stay, too.

[billyoc]

15. No, no, no sarcasm here.

I mean it, if people can hang in there in Alabama, I can certainly keep working for change here on the west side of Manhattan!(we have it easy here).

I really was considering leaving the country if the election went badly, though.

[crispini]

2. BRAVO.

You are a true patriot and a hero.

[DireStrike]

4. Thank you!

At least one of your countrymen approves, and I'm sure there are many more where that comes from.

[vajraroshana]

9. thank you too...

your words are very kind as are the others that have responded.

I'm not so egoistical as to think I'm alone in my convictions.

So we red-staters really need all the encouragement we can get!

[Syrinx]

5. are you my cousin?

You sound like my cousin. Are your initials JMO?

[vajraroshana]

7. my initials are WBS,

eeww there's a W in my initials; your cousin sounds like a fine person :-)

[Syrinx]

8. he is, though I haven't seen him in a long time

He used to bite my ears a lot when we were tykes. But I forgive him.

Good luck to you! :hi:

[vajraroshana]

10. good luck to you too

wherever you are

[Syrinx]

12. I'm just down the road in Tuscaloosa

Roll Tide. Heh.

[SammyWinstonJack]

11. Stand your ground!

You're an inspiration to us all! :-)

[vajraroshana]

13. I will and I will fight for the local environmental issues

I almost had amnesia these past few years about our victories here. We've still got a lot of battles to fight, but they can be won.

And unlike some battles, these are winnable. North Alabama is a much better place for the "tree huggin'" liberals like me and we've forged some pretty nice alliances with nature lovin' republican types. We wouldn't have had a chance without them.

There's tons of more work to be done for sure. And every little bit helps to preserve the really beautiful diverse wetlands and woodlands here in North Alabama. And there's some tremendous heroes in central and south Alabama too. In a way we here in North Alabama are just catching up, because those South Alabaman activists have done some fantastic work that they've done with the forests down there, but there's also a tremendous amount of work to be done down there still.

[donheld]

14. I'm in Colorado

Some call it the hate state. Home to the catastropic Marilyn Musgrave. But i have no desire to leave. fuck'em.