In Massachusetts Yesterday, We Won!

Today the grass is a little greener. The sun a little warmer. I'm reading the headlines of the newspapers with relief and joy.

We won.

I know there will be more petitions filed. There will be more attacks, more attempts to remove the right for everyone to be married. It will take years, however. And as every year goes by, when it is clear that no evil has come from treating everyone with dignity and respect, it will be a harder case to make.

It's like the guy on the street corner who says the world will end Friday. Friday comes and we're still here. Then what? Some Friday? A Friday in the future to be determined? The impact of doom and gloom predictions wear thin.

The same number of children will grow up to be homosexual. Being treated fairly under the law does not make someone a homosexual. Maybe? A few more won't kill themselves.

After the vote, and before the rally, I had to leave.

Gotta get the kids, I laughed.

What a reason to have to leave a historic moment. Kids at school. I felt a huge burden come off my shoulders. I don't have to write about this vote ANYMORE, I thought. I can be focused on important things like a crumbling public education system. Voter mobilization so that all voices are heard in our political system. Economic Justice, health care access, global warming, women's rights, girl's self esteem, literacy -- not much point to writing if people can't read.

And Zachary's playoff baseball game. They took on a team that had beaten them bad twice. If they won? They would be in the championship game on the big boys baseball field, beautifully groomed, with real dugouts and a hot dog stand.

Okay, I like the hot dog stand.

When I went to the game, I walked in, floating about three feet off the ground.

We won.

Jeanine, Walter and I were all at the game. All of the parents, including a few from the other team, came up and said congratulations. What a great victory.

One mother said to me, "I love living in this state. The vote today just made me proud to live here."

She paused, and being a true New Englander added, "It's just common sense, after all."

I joke about my suburban counterparts often but last night? I deeply appreciated each and every one of them taking the time to acknowledge a historic day for us. Some were a little uncomfortable -- saying the word "gay" somehow leads to a sex act in their minds-- but they fought through their embarrassment and said something.

Today? I'm proud to live in Massachusetts. I'm proud that three quarters -- a supermajority -- of legislators voted with respect, understanding that equality cannot be based on a popularity vote. I'm proud to have the first African-American governor of this state be a man of conviction AND have the guts to follow through (wake up, you chicken shit presidential candidates!).

Thank you, Governor Deval Patrick. Perhaps you should teach the Democratic Party some basic concepts like character, respect and the biggest? Integrity. There's not one in the bunch who couldn't learn a lot from you.

Maybe we live in our own little world here. Maybe some people in the country think we live on the fringe of social chaos. Having grown to love the frugality and stubborn nature of New Englanders over the last 20 years, I find that very humorous. Not a lot of chaos in judging ones sensibility in the size of their recycled string ball. Here, we like to think we're years ahead of the rest of the country. Our taxes are reasonable, we are the birthplace of public education, and we have universal health care options and, for the most part, a fair dose of common sense.

I'm telling you... the grass is a little greener... the sun a little warmer...

And to top if off? Zachary's team won a nail biter to go to the championship game.

What a day.