First off, ARGH!! I'm trying to figure out who to vote for and I'm getting stuck on the major candidates. (I'm a registered Democrat and have voted in all but the April elections which I keep missing. Plus, I have a B.A. in Political Science.) The Massachusetts Primary Election is today and I need to vote. But I can't figure out who to vote for. I've checked out the Planned Parenthood Voter Guide but that wasn't too much help for me because I already know my State Senator's record and I can't find any candidates for State Representative listed. There's no info yet for the Governor's race or anything else for that matter.
So then I went to the Democracy Net which allowed me to focus on specific races and specific issues. But when I checked out the Lt. Governor's race, I found that the Democratic candidates hadn't said a whole lot on Gay and Lesbian issues...well, Chris Gabrieli had provided a statement (included below in its entirety) and Lois Pines had nothing. And Gabrieli's statement wasn't all that impressive. Albeit, I don't know what I was looking for...though someone saying, "Yes, I love gay people. I want gay people everywhere. I want gay marriages. That would be just fabulous!" Yeah, probably not gonna happen.
Chris Gabrieli's Statement
I support equal rights for all citizens regardless of sexual orientation, religion, race or ethnic background. I fully support civil marriage for gay and lesbian couples to afford them the same rights, privileges and responsibilities that heterosexual couples enjoy.
I oppose the defense of marriage legislation as well as the constitutional amendment proposals that would forever deny these protections to gay men and lesbians and their families. As Lieutenant Governor, I will remain a strong advocate for the rights of gays and lesbians, and will continue my commitment to protecting and enhancing the civil rights of the GLBT community.
So I used Yahoo to search for more and came up with a listing by Bay Windows of GLBT group endorsements which although somewhat incomplete for the primaries gave me some support for people I was considering. For instance, while many of the groups endorse Tom Birmingham, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Political Alliance of Massachusetts gave a dual endorsement for Birmingham and O'Brien (which is good because I was leaning towards O'Brien). The Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Caucus gave a dual endorsement for Lt. Governor to Chris Gabrieli and John Slattery. Basically, I'm stuck at the Lt. Governor's race right now. I was leaning towards Lois Pines because I liked that she admitted that she had experience on Beacon Hill and therefore knew what she had to do. (I'm very much against all the candidates who automatically try to claim their lack of experience is a good thing and will help make changes because that's not the way it works.)
So I decided to check out the candidates individual sites and see what they volunteered as statements. First I visited Lois Pines' site and she does offer up her views on GLBT issues. I won't repeat the whole thing but please visit and read about her views. It sounds a lot like Gabrieli's statement. So then I went to Chris Gabrieli's site which is actually a joint site with Shannon O'Brien. I checked out the statements for Gay and Lesbian issues and once again, same old, same old.
So now I've brought you all to the stage of where I am now...I'm pretty sure Shannon O'Brien is going to win the Primary. So do I vote for Chris Gabrieli because the two of them stand a better chance against Romney and Healey or do I vote for Lois Pines because she has experience and Gabrieli doesn't. I mean, he's too independent for my tastes. But would an O'Brien/Pines ticket be enough to beat Romney/Healey? I think they'd still be better than the Republican ticket but will everyone else believe that also?? This reminds me of the Presidential election in 2000...the question of whether to vote for the more independent Ralph Nader who stood no chance against George W. Bush or boring ol' Al Gore who actually stood a chance? I haven't even figured out the rest of the categories yet... Uh oh, and while watching the early news, the pollsters brought up John Slattery's name for Lt. Governor. Apparently he's running between Gabrieli and Pines. So now, I'm checking his site...
Okay, so State Rep. Jarrett Barrios (who is openly gay and so obviously pro-gay and I'd vote for him if he was running in my district) is endorsing John Slattery. But even better, he's the only Lt. Governor candidate that is actually saying he supports gay marriage and not just civil unions. Plus, he spent four terms as a State Representative, so he's got the experience I need. Ooh, I think we have a winner!
Well, I'm feeling better now...and the Democracy Net site is really helping me figure out what races are even being contested in the Primary so that I know what to focus on. I highly recommend it for any of you trying to figure out who the heck is even running.
By the way, if I have to listen to Mitt Romney's condescending and patronizing bullshit one more time, I gonna go crazy. He is sooooo annoying!!!
And last but not least, I popped in the last 25 minutes of the Queer as Folk episode that Laura and I never got to watch, because I had nothing else to watch and part of me did want to see how things turned out...plus I don't want to pay to rent this third tape a third time just to see the last 25 minutes. Anyway, Ted and Michael went to see Emmett (who was trying to turn himself straight) and Ted's speech was so beautiful that I had to share it. For those of you who haven't gotten as far as the end of the third tape, don't worry, this doesn't really ruin anything, I don't think.
Ted: We just...we wanted to let you know that we still love you...maybe not as much as Jesus...but almost. And that we're gonna miss you.
Michael: Especially miss the way you dance with your hands over your head and your Liza impersonation. That's the way I'll always remember you.
Emmett: Thanks. I don't think God appreciates it as much.
Ted: I think God appreciates it even more, 'cause He created you in His image. At least that's what I was always taught. And since God is love and God doesn't make mistakes, then you must be exactly the way he wanted you to be, intended you to be. And that goes for every person, every planet, every mountain, every grain of sand, every song, every tear and every faggot. We're all his, Emmett, and he loves us all.
