My (LATE!) Celebratory Journal!!!

Okay, so I know this is kind of "old news" by now, but it really shouldn't be! (Plus I was lazy and went offline like a hermit for a couple days...)

If you guys haven't already heard, (or if you just want an excuse to make a bunch of noise or eat more rainbow cupcakes or something) Proposition 8, as well as the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) were both struck down on Wednesday!! This is a pretty freaking historic step towards marriage equality, as well as gay rights being recognized as civil rights in general in our country. Californians can now marry whoever the heck they want to marry, and already-married couples will be recognized as such across the country. It's still a little baffling to me that we at this point NEED the legal affirmation that denying federal benefits to same-sex couples (or anyone, really) is unconstitutional, but I think it's not just a great victory in the gay rights movement, but also a great sign that times and opinions are changing for the better. Despite the obvious legal and social challenges still yet to face, it's very encouraging to think of where the United States stood on the issue just ten years ago as opposed to today. All we can hope and pray and fight for is that despite history repeating itself again and again, maybe we can learn something from the re-occurrence of the issue of basic civil rights having to be fought for through the ages. I wish more people would draw a parallel between those who now argue their right to deny others is a matter of God or a matter of family or simply a matter of what they deem to be "normal," and those who argued the exact same statments during the '50s and '60s against American citizens, solely based on the color of their skin. I think this issue is so incredibly simple, but maybe it's because I believe with total conviction that no one should want to deny ANYONE the right to do ANYTHING unless it involves hurting someone. Anyway. I could obviously go off on this tangent all day, so I'm just going to send out my love and support to everyone, black and white and gay and straight and everywhere in between, who is willing to stand up and advocate for the rights of others.  Stay strong, my friends!

SPEAKING of standing up and advocating...

I guess while I'm at it, I can't really post a journal rant about historic events and great people without mentioning incredible Wendy Davis. Again, since I'm posting all this like three days after it already went down, I'm expecting you guys have already heard all about the bill that was almost passed in Texas on Wednesday that would have essentially banned abortion after the 20-week period, including cases of rape, incest, and risk to the mother. Additionally, the bill would have closed almost every abortion clinic in Texas, forcing some women to drive hundreds of miles for the procedure. Despite my own views on the sanctity of life as a whole, I'm generally very sensitive to both sides of the issue, seeing as it deals with not just the life of the developing child, but the life of the mother, as well as the future of the child to come. I am pro-choice up until the stage of development when the developing child's nervous system is advanced enough to where it is capable of experiencing pain, because I think the issue is over-simplified oftentimes by those who deem it immoral in every instance. HOWEVER. The point is that this radical bill that would have taken away the choice of women who weren't presented a choice at the time of conception, as well as potentially forcing women to take some pretty unsafe measures with healthcare unavailable to them. But even though they barely beat the midnight deadline and the bill was stamped down on somewhat of a technicality, I have so much respect for the over 400 protesters who dedicated those unrelenting hours to advocating for women's rights. Wendy Davis, in particular, (a teen mom herself before graduating Harvard Law School) is a hero. I read that before taking on this bill, she'd previously staged a separate filibuster against Gov. Rick Perry in order to prevent a $5 billion tax cut to public schools. And now she stands talking for 13 hours straight without peeing or eating or drinking anything? Seriously?? You've gotta admit that's incredible.

Okay, I really need to go to bed because journal rants at 1:45 am are probably not the best idea for me. But anyway. I'll try to get back on tomorrow or Sunday and finally answer my messages and thank for all the faves and new watchers that I haven't really acknowledged yet and talk to my old friends on here because I MISS YOU GUYS. Also, I have a lot of art and poetry and stuff that's kind of been piling up, so expect me dumping things on you at some point here.

Love,

Veggie