orichalcum

Bads:

There are things I'm sad about today. The biggest is the passage of Proposition 8 in CA, taking away marriage rights from 18,000 couples and institutionalizing discrimination. I wonder what the result would have been if, like MA, Californians had more time to get used to the gay marriages in their midst before voting on it. But the reality is, we're a big, very diverse state, and we may have to wait 10 years till the youthful generation are more of a majority.

Looking around the country though, what strikes me is how big an uphill battle this still is - with even domestic partnerships outlawed in Florida and Arizona, and gay adoption banned in Arkansas. We will win this fight, eventually, but it's going to take a while.

I'm also sad that my mom, whose first job was teaching at a historically black college in Atlanta, and who helped organize MLK's funeral, isn't alive to see today. I know she would have loved Barack, and I'm grieving that he won't be her President.

I wouldn't want Barack's job. Dear Lord does he have a lot of problems to deal with.

Really, Alaska?

Goods:

I believe in our next President. I believe that he is competent, that he is wise, that he is compassionate, that he is cautious, and that he's got the common sense God gave a donkey.

I have spent the morning grinning madly whenever I see one of my African-American students or colleagues, thinking, "You can be President!"

Stanford students staged an impromptu bonfire in the Quad last night, and hundreds of them gathered around, holding hands, and singing the National Anthem. This country belongs to them again, and to me. I feel like an equal citizen again.

And I love our new First Family, known by the Secret Service as Renegade, Renaissance, Radiance, and Rosebud (I fear poor Sasha may miss sledding in DC), and they totally deserve their new puppy.

I wish this nation was as accepting of social change as I would like it to be, but I feel confident that Barack Obama will help lead us into a new era. My son gets to grow up with a President he can admire and respect and hopefully agree with. I'm glad to have been able to help give him that gift, one I didn't have.

Thank you contrariety, for Nevada, and the family of digitalemur, for Ohio, and wildpaletz and woodwindy and senatorhatty and msarden and xse99 for Pennsylvania, and meepodeekin and marginaleye and ebs98 for North Carolina, and holmes_iv for New Hampshire, and anyone else whom I'm forgetting, thank you so much for your efforts. We did it. Go us. This is our victory.