Obama had been the candidate of change, and he was supported by almost all GLBTQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning) people. They are happy that he won the presidency, but this election was one of mixed feelings for gay people.

Most people in Massachusetts are unaware of the injustices committed against the gay population in other states; we live in a relatively accepting state—it is one of two states in which same-sex marriage is legal. There used to be three.

California legalized same-sex marriage earlier this year in a controversial state supreme court decision. Many people in California were upset or even angry, claiming that gay marriage would ruin heterosexual marriages and that their children’s minds would be poisoned with “gay propaganda.”

As a result, many people pooled their funds into getting a ballot question for the 2008 election passed that  amends the California state constitution to ban same-sex marriage. That question was Proposition 8.

The opponents of Prop 8 fought long and hard to keep discrimination from entering the state constitution, but the Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormon Church) among others contributed large sums of money to the Yes on Prop 8 Campaign and ultimately the question passed, 52% to 48%.

It has still not been decided whether the state supreme court’s decision reigns supreme or the will of the people (because historically the supreme courts, not the majority, have given equal rights to minorities), so same-sex marriage in California is in a strange kind of frozen state.

Florida and Arizona also passed constitutional bans (by big margins) on same-sex marriage, joining around thirty other states with bans. Arkansas passed a ban on “unmarried couples” adopting children, which also affects gay couples.

None of these bans are particularly surprising because these states tend to be viewed as more conservative (in the case of Florida it is the large population of elderly citizens that passed it), but California passing Prop 8 was not expected. California is generally considered one of the most liberal states in the country; people are still in shock.

On November 15th, there was a nationwide protest of Prop 8, and on January 10th there will be a nationwide protest of DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act. “Defense of marriage” is another way of saying “We must prevent the marriages of many people who are in love.” It is a federal act which essentially says this:

1. No state (or other political subdivision within the United States) need treat a relationship between persons of the same sex as a marriage, even if the relationship is considered a marriage in another state.

2. The federal government may not treat same-sex relationships as marriages for any purpose, even if concluded or recognized by one of the states.

This essentially ensures that if two men get married in Massachusetts or Connecticut and they move to Michigan, their marriage will not be recognized (except in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, the one state that will not perform same-sex marriages but will recognize them).

Although we are not generally aware of these issues in Massachusetts, we should pay attention to what happens with gay rights across the country and around the globe. It is depressing that we think of ourselves as such a great nation when we won’t allow love to blossom within our borders, while Belgium, Canada, Nepal, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, and Spain will.