We cannot ignore the significance of a person of color holding the highest seat in the nation, especially given our history of slavery, segregation and discrimination. The US has the highest incarceration rate in the world, and half of our prisoners are black. But we also can't ignore that lesbians and gays continue to be excluded from equal treatment under the law.

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In Magical Voting Booth Transforms Clearheaded Americans Into Reactionist Morons, the Onion takes a lighthearted look at elections:

A voting booth stationed at the fifth district municipal center in Denver possesses the otherworldly power to transform rational Americans into impulsive and narrow-minded morons, sources reported Tuesday. According to election officials, just by stepping inside the magical booth and drawing its curtain shut, well-informed Americans are suddenly altered, their ability to reason without bias or prejudice vanishing into thin air.

But Obama does have his finger on the pulse of Main Street, as pointed out in Nation Finally Shitty Enough To Make Social Progress:

Although polls going into the final weeks of October showed Sen. Obama in the lead, it remained unclear whether the failing economy, dilapidated housing market, crumbling national infrastructure, health care crisis, energy crisis, and five-year-long disastrous war in Iraq had made the nation crappy enough to rise above 300 years of racial prejudice and make lasting change.

"Today the American people have made their voices heard, and they have said, 'Things are finally as terrible as we're willing to tolerate," said Obama, addressing a crowd of unemployed, uninsured, and debt-ridden supporters. "To elect a black man, in this country, and at this time-these last eight years must have really broken you."

Obama is ambiguous on queer rights; right along with most Americans.  While the U.S. now rejects discrimination based on race, it's apparently okay with rejecting equality for same sex couples, according to reported election results.  Arizona, California and Florida all banned (again) same-sex marriage in this election.

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Although a same-sex marriage ban was already on the books, Florida's voting machines responded to a Constitutional initiative in this year's November 4, 2008 election by determining that 61% of Floridians are homophobic.  They're also ageist, apparently, since the ban will affect senior citizens who live together outside of wedlock, in order to maintain their social security benefits.  The language is simple:

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF FLORIDA THAT: A new section for Article I is hereby created to add the following:

Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized.

The amendment (1) bans any legal union that is the "substantial equivalent" of marriage, (2) would jeopardize the benefits and health insurance that many employers provide to unmarried, heterosexual couples; and (3) puts at risk hospital visitations rights of unmarried couples. The same language has been used in other states to overturn civil unions and domestic partnerships.

On the positive side, the Connecticut high court ruled in October that all citizens have full access to marriage, becoming the now-second state in the nation to abide the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (Massachusetts allows it; California reportedly rejected it this week).  Lambda Legal reports:

In a 4-3 decision, the court stated: "Interpreting our state constitutional provisions in accordance with firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay persons are entitled to marry the otherwise qualified same sex partner of their choice. To decide otherwise would require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others."

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) filed suit on behalf of Beth Kerrigan and Jodie Mock in 2004.  Eight states currently allow civil unions, and two allow full marriage, according to this Wiki map:

     Same-sex marriages        Unions granting rights similar to marriage        Unions granting limited/enumerated rights        Foreign same-sex marriages recognized        Statute bans same-sex marriage        Constitution bans same-sex marriage        Constitution bans same-sex marriage and other kinds of same-sex unions

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In 2004, Rady Ananda joined the growing community of citizen journalists. Initially focused on elections, she investigated the 2004 Ohio election, organizing, training and leading several forays into counties to photograph the 2004 ballots. She officially served at three recounts, including the 2004 recount. She also organized and led the team that audited Franklin County Ohio's 2006 election, proving the number of voter signatures did not match official results. Her work appears in three books.

Her blogs also address religious, gender, sexual and racial equality, as well as environmental issues; and are sprinkled with book and film reviews on various topics. She spent most of her working life as a researcher or investigator for private lawyers, and five years as an editor.

She graduated from The Ohio State University's School of Agriculture in December 2003 with a B.S. in Natural Resources.

All material offered here is the property of Rady Ananda, copyright 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009. Permission is granted to repost, with proper attribution including the original link.

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." Tell the truth anyway.