It was a very long, tense election night. But ultimately, hope and love won. Misogyny, racism and homophobia lost. The people of the United States voted, and on sexual justice issues, we are the new moral majority.
Sexual justice seeks to uphold the experience and expression of sexuality as life giving and pleasurable, in a social context marked by mutual respect, equality and accountability. Sexual justice fosters physical, emotional and spiritual health, accepts no double standards and applies to all persons. It encompasses reproductive justice for women and the full inclusion of women and LGBTQ people.
There are so many ways that sexual justice triumphed last night. The future of the Supreme Court was likely decided for generations to come, and I believe it will continue to support the precedent of Roe v. Wade and ultimately decide that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.
Richard Mourdock and Todd Akin were roundly trounced, following their inane and disrespectful comments about rape victims.
Nineteen women were elected to the United States Senate, including several remarkable feminist political leaders and the Senate's first out lesbian.
Maine and Maryland became the first states where the majority of voters supported marriage equality; Minnesota rejected a ban on same sex marriage; and Washington is likely to support marriage equality as well.
Fifty-five percent of the voters resoundingly defeated an anti-abortion measure in Florida.
These victories did not come easily, and they represent the work of thousands of people of faith across the country. We know that people of faith came together to work for marriage equality and abortion rights in every state where they were debated. We know that the values of compassion, full inclusion and equality for all triumphed. We know that young people, people of color, Latinos and many Catholics and evangelicals helped bring about these social justice and sexual justice victories. We will learn more as the pollsters and analysts do their work in the coming weeks, but I'm convinced that there will be a new understanding of what it means to be a values voter.
The hymn that is going through my mind this morning is "May Nothing Evil Cross This Door." It resonates with my hopes -- I hope all of our hopes, despite which candidates you supported yesterday -- for the future of the United States and the world:
"With laughter drown the raucous shout, and though these sheltering walls are thin, may they be strong to keep hate out and hold love in."
And so may it be.