An extra-ordinary evening; Democratic National Convention, Day Four

Last Thursday night was extra-ordinary (I include the hyphen to emphasize what has been lost in the overuse of the word).

I’d been in my hometown of Denver all of last week attending the Democratic National Convention, listening to speeches, talking with people from all over the country and meeting with the lesbian, gay bisexual and historic number of transgender delegates and leaders who were here. I’ve experienced many political moments and last Thursday night at the stadium puts all the rest to shame.

I say this, not because it was a Democratic convention (and I would hope in a different political era I could say the same about the Republican convention). Rather, Thursday night was one of those nights when I found myself simply feeling incredibly fortunate to be alive at this moment in history. The week was filled with history and as a student of history myself, leading this country’s oldest national LGBT organization, I know that moments like these come along infrequently.

Certainly, Obama’s speech was powerful and touched on many of the issues I hoped it would. I was pleased that he included same-sex marriage in his remarks — historic in itself (your turn McCain!).

Throughout the afternoon and night, speech after speech moved me in ways I was not expecting. But for me, the following constellation of events made last week unforgettable for me. At Mile High Stadium Thursday night (now called Invesco), I sat down next to people I’d never met before and found that the straight couple right next to me are having a party next month bringing their friends together to raise money to fight the anti-marriage Proposition 8 in California; a mother I know made sure that her bi-racial daughter got into the stadium so that she could see herself reflected in Sen. Obama’s presence; the LGBT delegation was the third largest group of delegates at the convention (only following California and New York); and, with the passing of Del Martin, we were all called upon to carry on her work and activism.

Last week has given me hope — in fact, the knowledge — that our work at the Task Force is carried out in a larger context of more people than I think we sometimes know, who care about equality, who care about justice.

Following the last eight years of inspirational impotence on the national level, I as one lesbian doing her work to make the world more just felt called to be a better leader myself, a better community member, a better mom and to work from my highest self to make sure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have the opportunity to share our talents, skills and strengths with the larger society. This is not about being a Democrat or a Republican or an Independent. It is about being human.

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