Bonus! What to do when people aren't sure how they feel "about that same-sex marriage thing"

To be fair, in 2024 every kind of celebrity and public figure (including Arnold Schwarzenegger) did spots BEGGING people to not re-elect Trump and the voters cared not a whit.

By the way, since you're planning to come over to this side of the pond fairly soon, here are a couple of things that you might find interesting/useful to check out while you're around (I assume Pilou's story must be recorded in some archive somewhere, or else where are they getting all the pictures from?) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJUnjWBa78Q and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYbwlWcAXTc

Awwwwww rat 🐀

Thanks for that look back, and thanks for working on the campaign. Yeah, it was a big blow to find that California stepped forward to help elect a black President, but stepped backward in terms of our rights! My husband and I married in that window period before Prop 8 passed. It was an uncertain hodge podge of navigating what rights we had, and where, in the years that followed. Prior to our marriage, we had become Domestic Partners in the State, and were advised never to dissolve that partnership because of the uncertainty. At one point, we even had to refile our IRS tax returns for the previous three years because of the rights gained by the Windsor decision in 2013. As a retired senior, I am very fortunate to have supplemental health insurance from my husbands work with L.A. County. And, for a few years prior to retiring, I had primary health insurance through his work. But, we have been together since 1978, and if we had been legally married, or if the County had accepted our Domestic Partnership at that time, I would have had been covered for years, like any other spouse, instead of paying out of pocket. Even car insurance is less expensive for married couples! And now, some of these A-Hole Repubs want to take marriage rights away and do what they did to abortion rights!

You're definitely doing a lot of work and uneathing a ton from that era. Certainly dusting off a lot of memories for me from my very early 20s, I'll tell you. haha. Also, that "roommate" was adorable! Do you still keep fun pets like that one? I used to have a bearded dragon that I called Nozdormu, or Noz for short. He was adorable too, and I used to let him walk around on my arms and shoulders like that.

When I was going to Hawaii with my boyfriend, I went to the gayest swimwear shop in the Castro and bought shorts of a similar cut that was in a fabric that looked very non-bathing suit to get that exact look.

Yes, in the time “The Talented Mr. Ridley” was set, it was common for swimwear to be made from wool. Pre-polyester spandex it was the standard.

My mom born 1930 was one of those who needed to be brought into the fold with a different reason. While she was very liberal in so much she didn't understand why "homosexuals" wanted to get married since "they don't need to be married to have sex" (she was pissed I followed her sister's premarital sex advice instead which was to try on the shoes before I bought them). I simply asked her, "Whether married or not homosexuals will have children, and by choice not accidentally, so wouldn't it be better the children don't have the label bastard on them?" She stopped talking, paused in thought, and in under a minute said "I guess you're right." And that's how I got a 78 year old woman to vote against Prop 8.

How did Obama winning led to the Prop 8 passing?

When it comes to any kind of polling, the language of the question itself can influence the answer. I understand that "marriage equality" consistently polls better than "same sex marriage" or "gay marriage".

If we're embarrassed to promote the thing we believe in, how can we convince anyone that what we believe in isn't bad? Whether that's equality, universal healthcare, tuition-free college, subsidized childcare, universal basic income, or anything else?