Let me conclude by saying that lately I’ve been humming the music to Marat/Sade a lot; especially the refrain “We want our rights, and we don’t care how… we want our revolution now.”

I consider myself to be patient to the extent that I know (after being out and politically active for 35+ of my 85 years) how the processes of social and political change work.

I’m not at all patient when I hear LGBT people (especially my… pardon the expression… IDIOT Republican gay couple neighbors) claim either that it’s not necessary or that it’s too dangerous to be out and to demand civil rights.

I was out to staff on my job in a medium/max men’s prison for 12 years, and I’m still alive.

I can be out on the street.

And I can spam my Congressmen every time they drag ass, and I can tell everyone I know WHY this is not about sex or religion but about Constitutional rights.

BTW, when I glance at your URL, I occasionally see peripherally as Freer Angel Iberian. A secret identity, perhaps?

But this isn’t just a legal battle, as much as we might like it to be. As we peek into the fear-mongering tactics of zealots, we have to acknowledge the real fear that some people feel: that acknowledging homosexual rights is a travesty unto their God. This goes beyond simple legal arguments; you cannot just move people away from their religious (or moral, but it’s the same roots) beliefs with simple logic. Until people see that their hatred and fear are the real insult to their God, it will be difficult to move them towards a more just and balanced world.

California needs a Constitution Convention and I’m glad there’s now movement in that direction. Even if the issue of gay marriage is ultimately left off that table, how our constitution may be changed won’t be, laying the necessary groundwork for permanent change.

I understand John’s point that, relative to other disparaged groups of humans, our tribe has made considerable progress in a short time for equal rights; I also believe that we’re all going to be chagrined and perhaps somewhat ashamed, later on down the line, that we didn’t insist on those rights more vehemently.

In the meantime, every well-articulated, widely-circulated comment/argument/anecdote/slogan helps push this particular envelope, so thanks for blogging so eloquently (again) on this topic (instead of deciding not to).

There’s a limit to how much change a society is capable of undertaking in such a short period of time. Cultures don’t turn on a dime.

I’m sure, though, that’s no consolation to the individual homosexual citizen now, who doesn’t want to wait two or more generations for legalized marriage, but wants it for him/herself now. If I were gay, I’d be furious that I couldn’t have full civil liberties immediately.

Everyone being too patient on this basic issue!