Some thoughts on the Prop 8 situation and the race to assign blame

[Berry Cool]

As a born and raised Ohioan, now living here again after spending many years in a supposedly more liberal state (in my case, New York)--and having seen Ohio's 2004 gay-marriage ban succeed despite my vigorous vote against it--I had two thoughts when hearing about the Prop 8 outcome:

1. "Man, that sucks."

2. "Wow, homophobia--I guess it's not just for us supposedly ignorant Midwestern hicks anymore."

In short: I think there's been a lot of stunned disbelief and "How COULD you do this, California?" shock being expressed. As in, "But--but--we all thought California was too LIBERAL and ENLIGHTENED for this to happen." And, in the face of evidence that, well, maybe it's not, there's been a rush in certain quarters (white quarters, dare I suggest?) to assign blame. And the blame goes not only to the heavy artillery brought in by the Mormons but also to the known streak of homophobia running through certain portions of the African American and Hispanic communities.

Well, I'm not saying that I doubt that AA/Hispanic homophobia played a role, especially amongst people in those communities who consider themselves fundie Christians or devoted Catholics. But...but...but...I don't think it can be denied that there are segments of the white community in California who have just as bad a homophobia problem. As is constantly being said, California is a big state. And it has its white conservatives just like anyplace else.

Of course, that's not the stereotype of California everyone knows and loves, nor it is the way California progressives like to think of themselves, I'm sure. I've no doubt that they like to think of themselves as very enlightened people living in a very enlightened state, unlike those people in my state--you know, us white-bread, inbred, narrow-minded troglodyte Jesus freaks who supposedly handed the election to Bush in 2004. And now, that self-image has been shattered. No longer can they sit on their thrones and look down on my state for being ignorant, backwards and intolerant.

Yeah, it sucks. But please, Californians, don't let your frustration turn into nothing more than an exercise in hand-wringing and pointing the finger at someone else, or nothing will ever change. And all you will do is be able to look into the mirror someday and find that you are as racist as any Ohio hick ever was--only for a different reason.

I'd like to think that we're going to reach the day when everyone in this country has the civil rights to which he or she is entitled, including the right to marry the person of his or her choice. But until that day comes, stereotyping certain groups of people as being the only thing holding it all back is not going to move us closer to the goal.