Making a Sacrifice for Success

As a young gay man living in a generally gay-friendly city I often find myself taking it for granted that we are going to defeat Proposition 8 in California.

Defeating Propostion 8 would bring marriage equality one giant step closer to being the reality for all of us. But I couldn’t be more wrong assuming it will go our way.

The fight against Proposition 8 is being led by a talented, passionate team of organizers and community leaders. Their case is strong and their plan is sound but without national support they cannot achieve their goal – our goal.

It is no secret that the economy is in dire straits and most of us are tightening our belts as we face an uncertain future. I know that digging into my checking or savings account to make a donation to any cause warrants a great deal of thought these days; even $25 feels like a stretch. The reality is that our opponents, those who seek to ban same-sex marriage, are able to outspend us by $10 million. Their desire to deny us equality is fervent enough to outweigh their economic woes and we have to find a way to match their fundraising.

For the bad guys, winning this fight is about cementing a system of oppression that maintains the status quo. For us, this is a fight about freedom – freedom to live, freedom to love, and freedom to marry. I know that when I go out this weekend I will think twice before buying that second drink or going to a club with a cover charge. That $20 or $25 will stay in my checking account, at least until my check gets cashed in California.

This is too important a fight to ignore or let other people take care of. I want equality and I am ready to make some personal sacrifices to make it happen.

Want to share your thoughts about Robin Wood's blog entry?

Send your comments to OutSpoken@theTaskForce.org.

Please let us know how your name should appear and, optionally, your city and state. Comments may be posted on our Web site and used in other Task Force materials.