Why You Should Be Optimistic After Amendment One: A North Carolinian's Perspective

[WillParkinson]

Why You Should Be Optimistic After Amendment One: A North Carolinian's Perspective

It would perhaps be redundant to say that I was devastated when Amendment One passed on May 8th. After spending the past nine months fighting against the amendment, after organizing rally upon rally, after sacrificing countless hours of sleep working on voter mobilization campaigns, and after walking from Greensboro to Raleigh in protest, there was a part of me that just wanted to be bitter. There was a part of me that wanted to simply give way to the frustration and sadness that naturally follow this kind of defeat. In so many ways, I was tempted to give up on my home state.

But as the weeks have gone on, my attitude has changed profoundly and my sense of defeat has been transfigured into a spirit of pride, compassion, and hope. It may be hard to feel proud, hopeful, and compassionate in the wake of Amendment One, but let me tell you why you should.

In the wake of Amendment One, you should feel proud, and perhaps a feeling of pride is easy to understand. In spite of the outcome of the vote, we can't forget the fact that hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians stood up for equality and justice in our state; we can't disregard the fact that the fight against Amendment One has created a stronger, more robust progressive community; and we can't ignore the pioneering inroads that were drawn in the battle against Amendment One -- the NAACP, countless conservative leaders, and leaders of faith across the state raised their voices for equality. While we have much to mourn, we have so much to be proud of.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-tobia/north-carolina-amendment-one_b_1550130.html

[bluestateguy]

1. Mondale and Ferraro said they were proud of themselves after election day 1984 too

This is really a reach.

There is winning and there is losing. No in between.

[zazen]

2. I kind of agree: a lot of straight folks on the fence about marriage equality

or who hadn't given it much thought because of invisible heterosexual privilege (that's me) are now committed to and vocalizing support for it.

I know that doesn't improve the day to day experience of LGBTs, and that experience may have been worsened in some ways by having anti-LBGT rights folks go on the record about their bigoted position. However, having lived here my whole life with family roots that go back to the mid 18th century, and speaking as a straight person who hears lots of "what I really think" comments from straight, rather conservative relatives and their friends, there has been a major shift in thinking about this issue akin to what happened in the 60s when activists were sprayed with fire hoses. If I had a dollar for every time a straight person has said to me, "well, now that I think about it . . . "or, "you know, that amendment just seems so hateful . . ."

The pointless spite and sick displacement reflected in that amendment was like the nation watching Bull Conner sick German Shepherds on "the Negroes," as they were called then, or the Anita Hill hearings on sexual harrassment, and it's woken a lot of people up. This will matter, electorally and culturally speaking. The anti LGBT folks have gone on the record, but I doubt that's come as a surprise if you're LGBT. Y'all are used to the hatred that I had the privilege to be able to largely ignore. This amendment has upset that privilege. I'm sorry (and embarrassed) it had to take that, but well, we work with what we have.