Trans Universe

By Monica F. Helms

The power of the internet has come to age and the LGBT Movement is benefiting. This cannot be move evident then what happened on November 15, 2008. All across the country, at the exact same moment in time, LGBT people gather at capital buildings, city halls, town halls and many other places, to protest the passage of Proposition 8, the amendment to the California state constitution banning same-sex marriage. The back of the camel broke when the passage of Prop 8 became the last straw.

I will repeat what the LGBT community has been saying for the last two weeks, but it bears repeating. On November 4, 2008, at 10 PM EST, 7PM PST, the poles closed in California, Oregon and Washington, and a minute later, all the news organizations declared Barack Obama our next President. Here is a man who we know as the most progressive thinker and supporter of LGBT rights this country has ever had. He will make history by becoming America’s first African American President. The celebration in the country from all corners of the progressive communities, including the LGBT community, could not have been any louder.

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By Monica F. Helms

As I get older, I am starting to understand the viewpoint of my parent’s generation and those who are older then them. I have to take drugs to combat high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and now I’m experiencing leg and joint problems. But, I take comfort in what my elders like to say, “At least you’re still alive.” I’m thankful for that.

In the recent passage of the anti gay marriage amendment in California, Proposition 8, I have seen literally hundreds of gay and lesbian people make statements to the effect of saying they feel a total loss of equality. In a state that has passed every single protection they can for LGBT people, including ones no other state has elsewhere, they see the passage of Prop 8 as a death nail to their total equality. Yet, they don’t seem to appreciate all they do have that makes them far more equal and protected then any other LGBT person in the country. They should be thankful for that.

Maybe it’s time to remind Californians what they do have, “straight” from the Equality California website. Since there were so many pieces of legislation, I only listed the bill number and the title. If you wish to read the details on each bill, please click on the link to the year.

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