Archetype in Action Organization

Gratitude

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Hello, Fellow Suffragettes and Suffragents;

This week has been a week of celebration. On May 9, 2012, the President of the United States came out in support of same-sex marriage. Not literally, of course, but the video above is of him endorsing it.

Some have breathed a huge sigh of relief, because they feel a little less persecuted. As they should. The President endorsing same-sex marriage is a HUGE victory for the LGBT community.

Others have worried even more.."What will this do to his campaign?" What if he loses the election over this?" "What if the Bigots and Extremists try to do something about this?" What if. What if. What if. Let me tell you. These concerns are legitimate, but if you think about it, this should be an empowering moment.

You see, up until May 9, 2012, we have never had a President publicly announce that he was in favor of same-sex marriage. Sure, we had some politicians quietly promising us that they would endorse us once they reached the Oval Office, but this is the first time I've ever seen that happen.

Now, of course some activists are a little critical about Obama's timing with this announcement...Some think the timing is questionable, but let me present you with the following:

When VP Joe Biden went out and said he supported Gay rights, etc., he actually pushed the President's hand. From what I've read/learned from sources, the President took the time to do some soul searching about such a volatile subject. He asked people he respected for their opinions, he weighed them against what he believes in, and made the choice to show his support. If anything, this proves that the U.S. FINALLY has an open-minded President. I believe that he did not endorse same-sex marriage before this, because he didn't want to make it a campaign issue. A mistake on his part, sure, but with all the craziness and hype of this particular campaign, and with so many issues to wade through, this was not at the top of his list. Rightly so. The economy, for one, is pretty important. And he's had some extremely unstable Presidential Candidates to fight against. I believe Obama would have endorsed either way, but wanted to wait until closer to November, or after he had won. But, since he wasn't able to wait until then, I personally think he chose a near-perfect time to "come out". Biden had already made his opinion heard, and then the vote in North Carolina for Amendment One happened. And the timing of Obama's endorsement was perfect after that whole circus of bigotry.

I've been gauging the reaction on FB, Twitter, other social media sites and, of course, the news. It's pretty much split, when it comes to opinion in the LGBT world, as well as the activist world. Some think this will help his campaign, others worry that he will lose crucial votes. I think this will do nothing but help his campaign. By showing that he's really paying attention to what his voters worry about, he's showing that he's open to "evolving" and willing to stick his neck out to help in any way he can, even if it just means saying the words.

And, of course you've got the Right Wing Extremists, the Homophobes, the Zealots and the Bigots weighing in, spewing their hate and fear-mongering. I'm not even going to bother posting links for this, as most of us have seen them. (Plus I'm saving them for a different blog post). All I can say is, that by crawling out of the woodwork to condemn President Obama for doing this, they are yet again showing just why they are dangerous, hypocritical and small-minded.

So, in closing, to President Barack Obama, THANK YOU. Thank you for evolving. Thank you for being open minded. Thank you for wading into an already messy situation. I admire you for that, as it shows that you're not just concerned about the campaign, you're concerned about your citizens and their well-being. This proves to me that you are the ONE person in this circus of a campaign who gets it. And I will endorse you back. And now that you've proven that you've got a brain, and you're not afraid to use it, I hope you'll look at all the other issues and prove to us that you're willing to do what it takes in the war on equality.

And to all my LGBT friends, crack open the bubbly, drink a glass for me. This is a victory for us. Let us take this endorsement and run with it, and learn from it.

Please feel free to comment. Because to be truly informed, you MUST have information! Debate is welcome, but trolls, abuse and threats will be dealt with swiftly.

My friends, as usual, I am grateful. Thank you for enlightening me.

With the deepest of Respect,

An Ordinary Woman

May 12, 2012

*this letter can be shared, however I do not authorize any alterations without my approval 

Krystina J is a Women's Rights Advocate and a Gay Rights Advocate.  This article is republished here by her permission.