La Vie En Rose for 2008 November 5

Everyone is really excited about the election results, including me. Wheee!! We (my flatmates and I and a bunch of our fellow expats and interested parties) went to a venue in Angel where the American Ex-pat meet-up group was playing the election results. It was a fantastic time. I jumped up on stage and waved our "London for Obama" sign which got me in a little trouble but it was worth it. We played Obama bingo (although I don't think anyone actually got a row), yelled and screamed till we went hoarse, and stayed till Obama's acceptance speech. Hugs and tears and more hugs, then we got the first tube home. Yay.

That was last night. This morning. Well, afternoon really, I woke up to disappointing news about Prop 8. This is something I'm really having difficulty with because I just don't get it. I can understand why people might think that McCain would make a better president than Obama. I don't agree, but I can understand it. It's all that time and effort and energy put towards imposing your moral will on other people and denying other human beings basic rights... that's what I don't understand.

I think we should just get rid of marriage altogether. If two people want to be a couple in the eyes of the state they go down to city hall and register as such, and that's the same for everyone. Then churches can do whatever they like with marriages. The whole mixing up state and religion, imposing one version of morality on everyone, and putting civil rights up for a vote, it all makes me nervous, and sick. I know it's a matter of time before it changes. After all, 10% fewer voters went for this discrimination than seven years ago. But I really wanted to believe that Californians were better than this, that we were ready. As some of my friends pointed out, it seems that Californians care more about the rights of the animals we eat than about our human beings. Boo.

Anyway, I have some thoughts on the upcoming "change" but it will wait for tomorrow. I'm having a bath, then there's the Democrats Abroad celebration at the Texas Embassy. And maybe I'll write some words. It's November, after all.