Lucky 7: Our Seventh Year in Review
After suffering through painfully long primaries and the most anticipated general election this country has ever seen, we the people got it together and elected our first African-American President, Barack Obama. Like a women’s studies class at Smith College, the election forced us to talk openly about race, class and gender, dredging up the worst and best of the American psyche. Obama-mania swept the country and 2 million people flooded D.C. during the inauguration hoping to witness a little piece of history. Obama inherited a failing economy, a disenfranchised public and a war that he voted against in the Senate, but none of it has deterred him. Instead, he contines to woo the nation with his charm, and his smarts. As for his effectiveness as Commander in Chief, just stay tuned to GO, ladies. We’ll keep you up-to-date every step of the way.
The 2008 elections filled our hearts with hope even while the economic downturn emptied our pockets. We spoke out against corporate greed, fought for our right to marry and shamed those that would hold us down into becoming more tolerant. A crane collapsed in Manhattan; a plane landed in the Hudson River and justice prevailed with the country’s first transgender-related hate crime conviction. Here is a look back at the past year and the events that most affected us.
B. PROP H8
In June, the California judiciary said we could get hitched and before we’d even paid off our wedding gowns, the state’s voters psyched us out by passing Proposition 8, overturning the newly-minted marriage-equality law. Largely supported by the deep pockets of the Church of Latter Day Saints, Prop 8 was a shocker for the gay community. But the wake-up call may have been just what we needed. After Prop 8 passed, gays filled the streets, spurring the largest nationwide protests our community had seen since the days of ACT UP.
