Gay Place

TURNOUT IN Q DROVES Last week, we all wore purple and stood up to bullying. The recent slew of gay teen suicides has certainly put sweet human faces on what, for many of us, had been relegated to the realm of the intangible, the unthinkable. This week, we have the opportunity to stand up in a different sort of way. It's not as glamorous, it's not as tear-jerking, it's not as obvious, but hey, you do get a sticker. I vote. I voted. In fact, I voted early (and you can too until Friday evening). I vote every time I have the opportunity. Does that make me special? No, that makes me an ordinary citizen expressing my rights and performing my civic duty. Despite the many news bites that make it seem we are teetering on the edge of monocratic/theocratic redundancy; despite the slow, frustrating flow of policy; despite the white noise of too many voices (sometimes not enough), I believe in American democracy. I know: corny. Naive. Deluded. But I'll say it again: I believe in American democracy. And democracy is ugly. It's messy and often dissatisfying. This past week, I had the honor of sitting on a jury impaneling. I found the experience to be simultaneously tedious and invigoratingly enlightening. I did not get selected, but what I did get was a glimpse into the methodical yet labyrinthine systems we have in place to sort out the ugly fact that many opinions make us, that many belief systems constitute us, and sometimes they contradict. Sometimes one belief holds many others back, and it is inherently unfair in that moment. And struggle is necessary. And change is inevitable. And that's what I sign on for every time I cast a ballot. Am I thrilled to cast my vote for Bill White? In some ways, no – I am disappointed by his takes on gay marriage and the death penalty, for example. In other ways, I am very excited. He's a policy wonk (swoon) who actually has a chance of defeating Rick Perry, which means we all have a chance of defeating Rick Perry – who has been heinous for the state of Texas. And it's my right to make that choice. I make that choice despite noise that says my vote doesn't make a difference. The strategy to make some person or group feel so powerless as to make them want to not vote is just that: a strategy. And it's bullying. Please don't fall for it.