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1. Andy, I agree. It would have been nice to share in the complete euphoria I saw everywhere on TV...but the knowledge that all 4 antigay props passed really broke my spirit. The huge negativity from minority populations hurt more than anything else... I always had this sense of camaraderie with other excluded populations, but I think I've just been shown that all that 'brotherhood' crap is just a fanciful myth I wanted to believe in. It's just not true. I don't know why that illusion mattered so much to me, but it did.

   History was made last night in more ways than one. Democracy worked. The American People defeated us, and we might as well face that fact.

   Posted by: Yeek | Nov 5, 2008 9:39:06 AM

   
   

2. COUNTESS: Well, my dear, looks like you were wrong about Mccain winning. QUEEN: Well, you can win them all (pun intended) But I was right about prop 8! COUNTESS: Yes, you were my dear. Well let's have some Krug anyway. QUEEN: And let's greet the fabulous Miss Derrick with a warm, gracious "good morning" -- you know she's dancing for joy right now!

   Posted by: the queen with the countess de gooch | Nov 5, 2008 9:44:20 AM

   
   

3. ...and God forbid that Stevens being re-elected will lead to his expulsion/resignation which will lead to a new election which will lead to Begich vs. Palin which will lead to Senator Sarah "from Alaska" Palin which will lead to a two-year campaign for the White House by her launched beginning in 2010.

   But yeah, otherwise, yay us!

   Posted by: Matthew Rettenmund | Nov 5, 2008 9:46:40 AM

   
   

4. To those who voted against my rights:

   Do you know me?

   You may think of me as the person who dresses your hair and arranges your flowers. You may think of me as the woman who could never get a man. Although your perceptions limit me, and denigrate my contributions as ephemeral and deny my worth based upon your limited view of what matters, let me afford you the courtesy of a response.

   I am the person who bolsters your ego and sends you joy. I am the person who nurses you when you are ill and comforts your aged parent. I am the person who teaches and nurtures your children with integrity. I am the person who does your taxes, checks you through security and your groceries through to your choice of paper or plastic, cooks and delivers your meals, entertains you when reality is too much to bear, and shares a beer with you and the end of a long day. I am the person who volunteers for our communities, our schools and universities, and our municipalities when I am not leading with vision and resolve. I am the person who cares, and does so deeply and with honor.

   I am a person who, like you, has hopes and aspirations. I, like you, have dreams of love desired and blessedly requited. I, like you, hope that the beauty of my soul transcends the vagaries and whims of fashion and standards of beauty based on the hide, and not the heart. I have expectations, like you, that my fulfillment will be supported, not stifled or denigrated, by the community in which I live.

   Today, can you look me in the eye?

   Posted by: JT | Nov 5, 2008 9:48:15 AM

   
   

5. While it's unfortunate that Prop 8 passed, perhaps the "leadership" of the gay community needs to remember there is gay life outside of CA and NYC.

   And it appears the Obama victory also highlighted who some of our friends really are. (No surprise to me) I'll guess we'll see how things develop.

   Posted by: ATLSteve | Nov 5, 2008 9:50:33 AM

   
   

6. Bittersweet? I'd say DAMN sweet. I'm so sincerely, deeply proud, for the first time in my 39 years to BE AN AMERICAN. I am so proud that our president (elect) can form a [beautiful, graceful, inclusive, intelligent] sentence. I'm so proud that the world will turn to us and smile instead of roll their eyes or shake their heads. I'm proud that Obama said 'gay' before straight. That he mentioned 'peace' and meant it. In the big picture, America can change. We can continue to make gains. There's always the Supreme Court, potentially with Hillary Clinton getting a seat.. and that is where hope wells in my heart to continue to fight for gay marriage.

   Though hateful, small minded people still tweeked the vote -we still can love, we still can fight and now we have an ally in The White House, not just the chapel.

   The Yes on 8 associated churches should be and WILL be forced to hard-defend their tax free status. I know I'll be working to be sure exceptions to the separation of church and state aren't ignored and aren't tolerated, while I celebrate all the good that happened last night.
   OBAMA!

   Posted by: pickles | Nov 5, 2008 9:52:40 AM

   
   

7. Prop. 8 is California is a huge disappointment. My husband was up a lot of the night worried about this -- watching the returns. Discrimination against gay people remains acceptable! And I partially blame President-elect Obama for this because he made opposing marriage equality OK -- when it is, in fact, discrimination -- pure and simple.

   Posted by: Anonymous | Nov 5, 2008 9:53:06 AM

   
   

8. Andy, I think you're missing a "not" in your last line ... "will not be".

   Posted by: David | Nov 5, 2008 9:53:37 AM

   
   

9. Prop 8 hasn't passed yet!!!!!!!

   smelling salts for the drama queens.

   92% of votes counted with only 4% difference. We might at least get a recount after all votes are counted.

   The blame is belongs on US the gay community

   - All of the registered gays in CA who didn't vote.

   - All of the voting age gays in CA who would rather go clubing than to even register to vote

   stop scapegoating minorities. Look in the fucking mirror CA gays!!!! WAY WAY WAY too many of our own in Ca aren't even registered to vote!

   Posted by: Jimmyboyo | Nov 5, 2008 10:01:52 AM

   
   

10. As a gay man I have a lot of contradictory feelings about this election. Part of me is happy Obama won and part of me is releived that Mccain did not. I am also relieved because Mccain would have made the supreme court so conservative and anti-gay that it would have taken decades for the supreme court to get sorted out.

    I must say to be honest I am also saddened, disappointed and angry that all four anti-gay initiatives (California, Arizona, Florida, and Arkansas) passed. The way I see this is I think the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgender community on a state by state basis seems to be losing more and more ground with each passing election and I think we should take a serious look in the upcoming years at how we organize ourselves and why we have such a hard time getting together on things like this. I am also concerned because I live in Massachusetts and I'm afraid that things like these four initiatives will get the anti-gay bigots here in massachusetts a second wind and they will try to take away gay marriage her in Massachusetts as well.

    While part of me is happy Obama won, part of me feels disappointed, sad and angry. Sorry to sound preachy here and hopefully I am not being selfish for feeling this way.

    Posted by: matthew | Nov 5, 2008 10:03:47 AM

    
    

11. Andy,

    Thanks again to you and your team for your hard work this campaign season!

    All,
    
    Yesterday was exciting because we saw the election of Obama and other progressives and the rejection of the Republican agenda. Last night in his speech, Obama was the first president-elect to ever mention gay Americans. Think about that. Obama mentioned gay Americans in the same sentence as all other Americans (to paraphrase): black, white, Latino, Asia American, gay and straight.

    That is a monumentally important achievement! What other president-elect ever done so?

    But yesterday was also disappointing to see the success of the marriage bans around the country.

    Please take a moment to look back at the fire and passion you felt this election season and don't forget it. The reality is that this is a long term battle. Go back and look at the Civil Rights Movement. Understand how that was successful. Strong, fearless American individuals. A liberal Supreme Court. A liberal President. And, a Congress that was willing and at times forced to make changes.

    The reality is that Obama will have to look at Bill Clinton's presidency and FDR's presidency. Clinton hurt his first administration by moving "too fast" on gay's in the military and appointing Hillary Clinton to work on health care. That gave the Republicans an opening and two big clubs with which they could beat him down with bigoted, scared voters and in the media.

    FDR set forth a 100 Day Plan to deal with the Depression.

    Obama will be forced to work with the economic disaster first. I don't see him being able to follow Harry Truman's footsteps because of defeat of Prop 8 and Clinton's own experience, especially combined with the economic disaster.

    In recent days, GM has tried to get money to take over Chrysler but can't without federal aid. Bush rejected that proposal because the potential merger could cost 1,000,0000 American jobs.

    The Auto Industry is a mess. If GM and Chrysler declare bankruptcy, that would cost 2,000,0000 jobs. Imagine how horrific that would be!

    Now, add on to that the rest of the economic nightmare of factory closings, financial sector layoffs, refusal of banks to make loans, Obama will be forced to handle the economy first.

    That's reality.

    Therefore, it's up to all of us, however, to push for him to honor his promises to gay Americans to be kept with the understanding that they won't be delivered in the early days or months of his administration.

    But the squeaky wheel does get oiled.

    1. Enacting ENDA
    2. Ending DOMA
    3. Ending DADT
    4. Enacting federal Civil Unions.
    5. Getting liberal justices on the Supreme Court and the Federal Courts of Appeals

    Posted by: noah | Nov 5, 2008 10:15:31 AM

    
    

12. Matthew -
    My thoughts have always been - the "gay community" is way too diverse to ever be a truly united force. We are men & women, all races, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, geographically diverse, etc. How do you ever get all of that on the same page? We're not like other minority groups.

    A good illustration would be he "gay community" approach to ENDA - look how fractured groups became about including transgendered individuals. Our politics often seem to be "all of nothing," and sometimes you get nothing.

    Posted by: ATLSteve | Nov 5, 2008 10:15:36 AM

    
    

13. Look, Jimiboyo, minorities didn't pass prop 8 all on their own. We know that. There's plenty of ugliness to go around.

    At the same time, I think we're absolutely entitled to be angry and criticize those communities that show more of those ugly thoughts than the rest. The mormons. The religious right. And yes, the African-American community, which voted 70%-30% in support of 8 in the exit polling. Worse than anyone imagined. That made the difference in a race this close.

    That kind of behavior deserves contempt and disrespect. I actually think it's racist to declare any group 'off-limits' when it comes to criticism. As if African-Americans are too delicate and child-like and wounded to be expected to do the right fucking thing. You know what? They're not. They're intelligent adults, and 70% of them voted to fuck us over, and they deserve to get some shit for it.

    Posted by: Yeek | Nov 5, 2008 10:17:25 AM

    
    

14. As Derrick pointed out a few days ago, the gay rights movement has only been active for 40 years. There has been so much progress in those years and it's all been uphill. As a young gay kid, I would never have dreamed that I could ever get married. Now that concept is a reality, and one worth fighting for. Who ever said it would be easy, or quick?

    Now we have a president that has included us prominently in his acceptance speech. I for one will join him in looking forward to the future. Change will come.

    Posted by: Mark in NYC | Nov 5, 2008 10:19:08 AM

    
    

15. Still wondering how much for either side is caught caught up in the provisional ballots. This could still come out better once those ballots are added to the mix.

    Posted by: what | Nov 5, 2008 10:26:17 AM

    
    

16. I think there need to be mass protests in California over proposition 8. And there should also be some serious civil disobedience organized against the LDS headquarters in Utah. We gays must not go down without a fight. Prove to those f***ers that we ain't sissies. ;-)

    BTW, is that Andy in the photo? If so, damn, he's hot! :-P

    Posted by: Sean Robertson | Nov 5, 2008 10:29:26 AM

    
    

17. 4 crushing defeats at the hands of the religious right, including 2 defeats (AK and CA) which will directly and immediately impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of gays and lesbians. And all Towle and the commenters here care about his Obama. Apparently, his hetero turnout didn't help us. Esp. African-Americans in CA, who voted overwhelmingly for Prop. 8 and probably caused us to lose Los Angeles County, the key to the overall defeat.

    Posted by: John | Nov 5, 2008 10:34:32 AM

    
    

18. AP reporting that a large number of absentee ballots uncounted and that the absentee ballots lean heavily dem.

    Only 92% of the vote is counted

    We are down by 4

    I am not saying we can gain 5% out of the uncounted 8% but it is prossible though highly improbable. BUT we could possibly pull into recount territory.

    It ain't over yet boys and girls.

    Yeek, I agree on going after the mormon financial backers of prop 8. On pointing fingers at church going blacks = first we must look at ourselves. Try registering voters on any and all gay strips in any CA city. The vast majority if they even aknowledge your efforts will admit they are unregistered and keep walking into the bar/club without taking the 5-10 minutes to even register to vote.

    Gay ghettos are some of the hardest areas to register voters.

    
    

    Posted by: jimmyboyo | Nov 5, 2008 10:58:53 AM

    
    

19. Thanks, Andy, for keeping us updated on everything.

    I am devastated that 4 anti-gay initiatives passed, but having Obama in the white house is one hell of a consolation prize.

    We shall overcome.

    Posted by: hybrid | Nov 5, 2008 10:59:43 AM

    
    

20. I just hope the California gays don't give up. Try to repeal in a couple of year. It was a close one!

    Posted by: Joe | Nov 5, 2008 11:00:07 AM

    
    

21. The "No on 8" campaign was simply mismanaged from day one. The HRC and EQCA types are so used to playing lobbyist that the one and only thing they cared about was the money race. Well, we won that race folks. $38 million worth of donations versus $36 million. But we lost the only number that matters in an election: Votes.

    This absurd obsession with outraising the other side continued right upto election day. Even after all the ads had aired and more money wouldn't have made any difference, I received an e-mail from the "No on 8" people the night before the election asking for another donation. I just knew we were going to lose right then and there.

    STOP FUNDRAISING and GET ORGANIZED.

    Posted by: John in CA | Nov 5, 2008 11:05:05 AM

    
    

22. Our marriage rights are not going to be won by majority vote in such a huge and diverse state as California, at least not right now. As homosexuals, we have only been a recognized group for less than a century now, which in the great arc of human history is as nothing. We have a long way to go, because as a previous poster pointed out, we are otherwise a very diverse group of people, but we must must must find away to self-identify as a people set apart, with a long and distinguished history, or we will fail again and again in what is really a popularity contest.

    Gentlemen (and ladies), leather daddies and twinky fairies and the like aren't going to win us popularity contests (read "ballot initiatives") anytime soon. If the focus is on the sex, we lose. Period. The straight world can't hardly talk about their own sex lives, let alone sweaty butt sex between two men. Because we have been able to move away from a sexual focus when talking about GBLT issues, our margin of defeat has narrowed. This focus is something that many older gay men (incl. and esp. closet gays of any age) have been loathe to give up, calling some of us younger folks prudes or sexually disconnected, which I can assure you most of us AREN'T.

    My partner and I, living in Oklahoma, find little evidence of a mature gay community, but rather see a city full of overgrown adolescents, and a few of us who feel so alienated by this that we aren't visible enough to connect with more mature gay men and couples and each other, let alone organize effectively. I don't know how true this is in other places, but it looks to be more tragically true than I had hoped. Until this changes, until we develop organically, and over many years, in a such a way as to socialize our people as they become self-aware (a people is what we are, or we fail) then we will lose these beauty contests again and again. And we learn from the mistakes of our ancient Greek ancestors: older gay mentorship is imperative in of itself, and does NOT entail a little tight young tail as payment for education, socialization and networking.

    Our rights will be won in the places they are being won right now, in the liberal Northeast. I'm a Southerner myself, and will readily admit that I find East Coasters to be kinda cold, and the cookin' isn't that good. But state by state, one by one, we will marry in New England, and then the Mid-Atlantic, then who knows where. There is reason to hope, and best of all, it is a reasonable hope too, not a pie in the sky or a barely whispered dream.

    Posted by: clint | Nov 5, 2008 11:11:52 AM

    
    

23. lets do the math

    In the general US population only 169 million with close to 100 million actualy voting yesterday registered voters out of a population of (per last census) 305,583,293

    
    http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_registered
    _voters_in_the_United_states_in_2008

    http://www.census.gov/

    I have never seen a study showing that gays are registered let alone vote in larger numbers than the general US population (yes we do overwhelmingly toss our votes to dems but voting in general = no diff)

    CA population = 36,457,549

    http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html

    Take 10% 3,645,755 lets take out 1/3 for being underage leaving 2,430,503 gays in CA

    voting like the general pop = ONLY 1,331,099 gays in Ca even registered almost HALF!!! of voting age gays in CA are not even registered to vote!!!!! those unregistered gay voters in Ca = 1,099,404 votes lost!!!!!!

    Posted by: jimmyboyo | Nov 5, 2008 11:12:36 AM

    
    

24. P.S., John and others who are channeling their anger towards Obama, the black community, and those of us who are happy about an Obama win. Believe it or not, it's possible to hold conflicting feelings about this election. Great joy that Obama (the most pro-gay president in history, btw) won because he is the candidate we most believed in, and great disappointment that bigotry is alive and well in too many parts of this country. Singling out African Americans as the cause of Prop 8's probable passage, while ignoring the more significant muscle behind Prop 8 (the Mormon Church, evangelical bigots of all ethnicities, the anti-gay climate fueled by Republicans and the Bush administration, heterosexual arrogance, gay complacency), says more about you than it does about African Americans. Blame--particularly targeted, racially-biased blame--won't change the results, strategies for moving forward will, in time.

    Posted by: Ernie | Nov 5, 2008 11:15:18 AM

    
    

25. Jimmyboyo-

    I love how you're always so optimistic..god I hope you're right about 8

    Posted by: daveynyc | Nov 5, 2008 11:15:24 AM

    
    
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