They did it, they really did it!
When I watched Barack Obama’s acceptance speech upon receiving confirmation that he had won the US presidency, becoming the first black person to do so, I was very happy. I hadn’t been up very long, this was around 6.30am, and suddenly the world felt a lot lighter, and there was hope where yesterday there was just the same old, same old.
What happens in the US affects the entire planet, there can be no doubt—and so the election of this man, who gives every impression of being both intelligent and gentle, progressive and fair-minded, gives us all hope for the future. American readers may cherish reading this editorial from The Guardian as much as we Brits are able to do today—it’s an opinion piece dripping in hope and historical significance. There’s more, of course—check out the BBC’s Justin Webb, talking of ‘profound change’ and how the Obama years will encourage the nation to ‘think differently about itself’.
tags: anti-gay, Barack Obama, change, climate, democracy, Democrats, dreams, economy, George W Bush, hope, idealism, liberal, opportunity, progressive, Republicans, terrorism, US elections, US Presidency, warThe war for justice and equality goes on
Many people of different sexualities have been led to believe for some time under the current government that we have achieved gay equality. We haven’t. Not only do gay men and women still run the risk of verbal and physical abuse on the street and in their families and neighbourhoods, but they are unable to simply hold hands when in public unless they are either in the back arse of beyond or happen to be walking down Compton Street in London’s Soho, where there is safety in numbers.
Legislatively, some—not all—of the battles have been won, but hearts and minds are far from universally free of bigotry and the inclination to stigmatise. The war is not over.
tags: adoption, animal rights, Barack Obama, bigotry, blood, blood donors, democracy, disabled, disadvantage, discrimination, dysfunction, environmental activism, equality, gay, heterosexuals, Hillary Clinton, homophobia, homosexuals, justice, laws, legislation, lesbians, lies, manifesto, money, old, organ donors, politics, poor, powerful, prejudice, racism, rich, self-belief, sheep, sick, society, surrogacy, truth, unemployed, vegetarianism
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