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My Letter to the Schoool Newspaper
17 years ago
To The Talon Editor and EHS Faculty and Staff, On the night of November 4th, I felt as if a large and heavy cloud of darkness had been lifted upon the United States of America, and a light had been shone upon one man, a very historical man of whom will not only be known as the 44th president of the America, but the first African-American to take the presidency. The first African-American to break through a strong barrier of racism, hate, and prejudice. I fought back tears as I saw my mother silently cry for never thought she would get to see a black man become a president in her life time, as did many of your own mothers, fathers, and grandparents. I am very pleased to say that it makes me happy that Barack Obama, is our next president.It however wasn't long ago that blacks weren't able to marry whites, sit in the same restaurants as whites, let alone attend the same schools. It was a horrible mark upon American history, it was called segrigation, but if we were to look towards today do we still see segregation, hate, prejudice, and oppression? If you do not is it the fact we aren't allowed to, or too ignorent, to see? As I write this I was sent an article about how Proposition 8 was passed in California and that Florida and Arizona have also put a constitutional ban upon gay marriage, and just when I thought we have ended our hate for one another we are faced with anotehr issue upon freedom. Freedom being something that should be granted to every American but isn't. We as a country are still devided upon our opinions but must we let our own opinions affect others? Opinions at times are to be shared and other times, opinions are ment to be kept with ones self. I pray that in my lifetime I will see America truly as one nation as far as freedom goes. I wish to see same sex families living happily in a comunity and to see same sex couples walking hand in hand on public streets (like we do) without fear of being hurt or killed upon their love for one another. This is something I hope for...Hope, so few letters but a powerful word, a word that I now understand about, thanks to out 44th president.... - Micheal Pratt.
Prejudice falls by the way side over the years. The highschool my husband goes to still had two sets of drinking fountains in the hallways. They weren't labeled, they where just reminders that there was once a need for two.
There is a lot that can be written about The Other and the need to have an Other to hate, and what specifications make it easiest to find. Gays, unfortunately, fall smack into three of them. 1) Something I am not and never could be. It's very easy to Not Be Gay (ignoring those who are gay) so you know you're fighting against something you're not. 2) It's very easy to -be- gay if you are. So hey, what better way to keep yourself from being gay then to fight against others who are. (see, people who protest at abortion clinics except for the day they go inside to have one). And 3) Anyone could be one. There's no handy skin color cue to tip you off, so suspicion and paranoia of everyone is a must. How do you know what's a secret Gay Plot? They could be anywhere! Is your child one? Is your teacher? How do you protect one from the other?
These three interlocking forces used to be tied up in Commie Hunts, but since the fall of the soviets, has been reattaching to Teh Gay.
This sort of multi-leveled The Other hatred is harder to overcome then "His skin is different. I bet he'll steal something." which has been fading dramatically over the last two decades, as demonstrated on Tuesday.
Teh Gay Fear is falling too, just at a slower rate, and with much more vocal/passionate outbursts. But remember this. Prop 8 is basically identical to the Knight Initiative, which passed in 2000 by 62%. Prop 8 passed by 51% less then a decade later, and after a much more intense and fear-mongering ad-blitz of horrific proportions.
So we are getting better. We're just not getting better in everything at once. And it really sucks to have to be among the generations to fight the final round of legal battles because the finish line is -so- close in sight, but still so far away.
At least we can't get arrested for kissing another guy anymore. Progress!