fiction and musings from a gay black dude with delusions above his station
The Kim Davis fiasco continues the pattern of religious conservatives relying on more extreme and desperate measures to retain their image of how the world should work. Ms. Davis would have something of a leg to stand on if she personally refused to serve same-sex couples seeking marriage, but allow others in her office to…
c. 1998 Honey, let’s go to City Hall? Why? So we can register as Domestic Partners with the City of Oakland. Oh! What a lovely idea! c. 2000 I just got laid off. Oh no! Well, my employer grants domestic partnership benefits. If we become state registered domestic partners, we can sign you up for…
My sister Betsy and her partner Sue got married today. They had been together for 14 years, but the wedding was a spontaneous thing. They were getting ready for work, getting the kids ready for summer day camp, the usual routine. Then they heard that the court struck down the gay marriage ban. Betsy said…
They came out in Levis. They came out in flannel. Some wore dresses. Some wore fine suits. Some looked like they had just gotten off from work. People waited in long lines. Many waited with them, to witness the moment, to share the moment. A Boy Scouts troop brought some of them pizza. This was…
Dear Mormon Temple of Oakland, Hi. You don’t know me, but we’re neighbors. As such, I thought I’d give you some neighborly advice in regards to marriage equality – you know, that whole gay marriage thing that you got so exercised about five years ago. You remember, right? Five years ago this month, after the…
I continue to mourn the death of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. But the bigots were told to go home today. The stupid, indefensible, silly, bigoted, and harmful Defense of Marriage Act was struck down by a 5-4 decision of the Supreme Court. This means lots of things. The federal government will have to recognize…
At work a long time ago a former office mate of mine, let’s call him Buster, expressed in hushed tones his disapproval of same-sex couples raising kids. I say hushed tones because another colleague of ours had recently become a mother when her partner gave birth to their daughter. I guess Buster didn’t want her…
When Barack Obama won the 2008 election, I took to the streets. I wanted to see reactions to this historic moment. I drove to Jack London Square and found a full-on street party. In fact, driving from Oakland to Berkeley I saw people literally dancing in the streets all over. It was a day for…
As predicted, and feared, foes of marriage equality in the great state of Washington have filed more than enough signatures to put the issue on the November ballot. The Washington secretary of state office recommends those seeking to put an initiative on the ballot collect at least 150,000 signatures. The anti-marriage equality folks gathered over…
A friend in college hipped me to the Syracuse Cultural Workers’ Carry It On Peace Calendar. I’ve purchased them ever since. It features photos, art, and notable anniversaries from social movements both contemporary and historical. For June, they always do a nice spread for Gay Pride month. This year they are featuring the story of…
