I am living in a state that is flirting with the idea of writing discrimination into their constitution. Knowing in the back of my mind that thirty other states have voted to discriminate against same sex couples by defining marriage between one man and one woman, it is sometimes easy to look over the historic changes that have occurred over the last two weeks. From the appellate court ruling proposition 8 unconstitutional, to the partnership between JC and Ellen DeGeneres, to the state of Washington legalizing same sex marriage with Maryland following close behind, nationally, the debate is looking very optimistic.
Fueling that optimism, it is good to know I am not the only one being vocal about marriage equality. Yet, sometimes under this extraordinary pressure, every event from attending weddings to interjecting when overhearing homophobic rhetoric becomes a moment where I find myself thinking about the Minnesota Marriage Amendment. This causes me to feel very upset, stressed, and often times displaced when I feel like all I do is talk about queer activism. However, come to find out, my friends, family, and peers feel the exact same way I do on the matter and are becoming just as vocal and frustrated as the political year brings us closer together and closer to voting day.
In the meantime, when something is on my mind, I head over to the Center for Student Diversity to talk to the “Assistant Director of Gender and Sexual Orientation Initiative”. Who I like to call the queer guru and a good friend. The last time I went in to chat, I ranted about how a student on campus had used the words gay and fag near me and how I had interjected asking him to stop using his derogatory rhetoric. From there, we briefly tied this into the Minnesota Marriage Amendment and I had plenty to share about that. Fortunately, I was reassured that there were a lot of people like me who had become more vocal and irritated since the moment the amendment was introduced. I’m not the only one who see’s through this, and to those who are just as irritated, it’s important to remember we are in this fight together.
This spirit of pacifist outrage through vocalization is definitely a stressor that many Minnesotans both allies and queers alike are experiencing. Only through pursuing this often times stressful and emotionally draining dialogue through Minnesota United’s method of spurring on the conversation, can Minnesota be a catalyst as the first state to defeat a state amendment to write marriage discrimination into their constitution. Keeping the conversation alive and talking to other supporters in times of stress will continue the historic and progressive wave of success.
Jacob Woods blogs at Good as Gay and can also be found on Twitter.
