Our Bittersweet Gay Marriage Victory

3:21 pm EDT. The vote is announced in the House of Commons. The Conservative's foul anti-gay marriage motion has gone down to defeat.

And I'm watching it with tears in my eyes. All alone in a crowd...

Our beautiful flag of freedom has once again carried the day over the forces of hate and religious intolerance. I'm so proud of our cause. I'm so proud of my country. I'm worried others might see me cry. But I don't need to be. Because in the place where I work I'm the only one watching...

Apparently it wasn't a big story for most straight Canadians. It didn't even merit a headline on the CBC National News tonight. But it was a big story for me, and other gay and lesbian Canadians. And others all over the world. On a big American gay blog tonight one reader reacted to the news with just four words: "What an advanced country."

And I can only imagine how gay people in places like Iran must feel tonight. How much hope it must give them that their dreams of not being murdered for who they love might one day come true.

Or the gay teenagers everywhere who will draw strength and hope from our victory to keep on living. And never give up. Even when they're bullied.

So I wish I could have felt more like more like a party animal tonight. And joined the other gay boys in the bunker in celebrating our great triumph. Until they got too drunk... But I just didn't feel like it. I feel like the generals who led us to this victory.

“This is a bittersweet day, because today does not mark an advance in equality, but rather the defeat of an attack against us. We are happy that we can now avoid years of divisive and difficult debate, but we are weary that for over a year now we’ve had to defend our hard-won inclusion in the fabric of Canadian society.”

I'm happy that we won. Angry that we were forced to fight a battle we never should have been forced to fight. Not once but twice. But most of all I'm just beat. It has been a long struggle. And this is just one battle. We've been fighting for more than forty years ever since were considered criminals. I've been fighting for more than ten years ever since I was a teenager.

And because of people like the porky homophobe Charles McVety I'm sure I'm going to be fighting this battle again.
















The porker who never saw a cheque he didn't like....doesn't want to call it quits.

"The people of Canada are not going to let this go, because marriage is too important an institution to just let it evaporate because of the emotions of a few people in Parliament...

Not as long as there are so many wingnuts in Harper's ReformCon party. Like this goof.

“When we cease to be MPs, sadly we will likely be forgotten by our fellow man -- but not by God, who knows each of us intimately. If God Himself is truly the author of marriage, then let us be able to give a good account of ourselves when we stand before Him, as we all must stand before Him...

The one who prayed to Jesus in the House of Commons yesterday. The one who according to Le Droit, believes that public schools should be closed because they spread STDs and cause teenage pregnancy. God help us all if these freaks ever get a majority.

But you know what? These wingnuts are running out of time... That's what I take away from this debate. Not how hard and stupid it was to have to fight these crazies. But how easily they collapsed in the end. Drowned like rats by the tide of history. Ten years ago almost everyone was against us. Now they're not.

The world is changing. More gay kids are coming out. One day people will wonder what the fuss was all about. Sometimes it changes in big ways like today's gay marriage vote. Sometimes it changes in small ways. Like how about this incredibly popular Japanese animated series? Where the two heroes fight each other a lot. But love each other too....




Welcome to the story of Naruto and Sasuke. Sometimes it's those little things that help make the bigger things possible. Like teaching people that love comes in many shapes colours and sizes. But it's always good...

Now about this marriage thing....I want to make one thing clear....I fought for it because it was a battle for equality. And because all humans should have the choice to commit themselves to and honour the ones they love. NOT because I wanted to get married myself. I've always valued freedom above all things.

So nobody better put any pressure on me to do something crazy....

Because I'm feeling kind of vulnerable.... And when the guy I love above all things, ever since I was a teenager....comes home from his faraway and dangerous mission.

You never know what crazy thing I might do....