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.
C. LATER, HATERS
In the wake of Prob 8 fallout, media coverage of same-sex marriage shifted. Fox News barely peeped when a series of states embraced marriage equality. Dr. Laura, who in the past called homos a “biological error” and a gateway drug for pedophilia, told CNN that committed gay relationships were “a beautiful thing and a healthy thing.” The only noticable backlash to our climb toward equality came in the form of a widely-mocked television spot produced by the National Organization for Marriage. Titled “A Gathering Storm,” the video featured cheesy CGI graphics of thunder and lightning behind a group of presumably straight people expressing their fear of gays. The feeble protest spawned dozens of parodies including a segment on The Colbert Report and a video starring Jennifer Aniston and other celebrities called “A Gaythering Storm.” NOM looked ridiculous and we got the last laugh.
