Sad Day in Georgia
April 1, 2004
Despite the best efforts of some amazing folks, the Georgia House today passed a bill that will codify discrimination into the Georgia Constitution, should the people of Georgia vote for it this November.
To say that I’m disappointed would be an understatement. Unfortunately after talking to my representative, Burke Day, I understood the motivating force behind this. It’s politics, no surprise. The house is terrified of the possibility that, should they not pass this sad legislation, the homophobes whose votes they rely on might not re-elect them come this fall. So, it was extra disheartening for me for Representative Day, a fellow Tybeean, to view something so serious with such a flippant, self-serving attitude.
“For those of you who say it is not about me,” she said, “it is about me and thousands of others just like me and about my family and their families.”
— Rep. Karla Drenner, Georgia’s only openly-gay lawmaker
So, Georgians, it’s up to us. I’m talking to you, Tybee friends. If you’re not registered to vote in Georgia, do it now. And in November, you’ll have a chance to keep this hateful amendment from becoming part of our Constitution. This isn’t just a “gay thing.” Whites had an important role in the civil rights movement of the 1960’s. There’s no reason straight people shouldn’t be outraged by this bill and committed to defeating it. Please, help show our representatives in Atlanta just how wrong they are.
P.S. I received a reply from Representative Day later tonight. It was mostly self-affirming grandiosity about his respect for his office and his humility. He did say “I bear no hatred in my heart to the gay community. I’ve enjoyed the honor of having gay voting support in the conservative district I try to represent.” So apparently, it’s nothing personal.
