Now the work begins...

As we recover from staying up for the results of yesterday's historic election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America, I can't help but note that the election itself revealed key areas where work must be done. As the Huffington Post's Bruce Tenenbaum notes in his article "Civil Rights Victory for African-Americans Leaves Millions of Others Out in the Cold",

"Yesterday I wrote that the election of Obama is a victory over the politics of hate. I was wrong. As the dust cleared this morning, it was apparent that Californians had voted to deny basic rights to millions of citizens who just happen to have been born gay."

Indeed, as California voted for Obama, a slim majority of Californians also voted in favour of Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage initiative that will deny rights to millions of Californians (removing the right to marry recognized recently by the courts). Similar bans on same-sex marriage were approved in Florida and Arizona, while Arkansas voters endorsed a measure to block same-sex couples from adopting children.

At this time advocates in support of equal marriage in California (the ACLU, Lambda Legal, and National Center for Lesbian Rights) have filed a petition with the California Supreme Court urging judges to overturn Proposition 8.

The time has come for the rights of gay and lesbian Americans to live in recognized, supportive partnerships to be both recognized and celebrated. Countries such as Canada that recognize gay marriage have not suffered any of the harms bandied about by opponents to equal marriage. To the contrary, recognition of social marriage has only strengthened the social fabric.

President-elect Barack Obama will have a large list of items to address when he gets the keys to the White House. The economy is in dire straits, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, the environment needs rescue, and health care and education require urgent attention.

Barack Obama was elected on a message of hope and a recognition (and even celebration) of the diversity of American society. With the long list of issues that he must immediately deal with upon entering the Oval Office, I only hope that he sends the message that his message of hope applies to America's gays and lesbians as well.