Understanding: One Person at a Time

One of reasons that Prop 8 passed was that proponents aggressively went after communities of color. My cousin would tell me that she got hundreds of phone calls from people who targeted Asians. And that tactic worked. I'll admit it, I have chosen my gay family over the Asian community, even my own family.

Tonight, my cousin married an incredible man and I am now part of an amazing new family. I spent the past two days getting to know them and developed a really strong connection to the groom's mother. We just hit it off and talked for hours. Towards the end of tonight, she said to me, "I voted for Prop 8. But, after meeting you, I have changed my mind."

That blew me away. Firstly, because I wasn't expecting it. I have never hidden my life from people and I just can't help talking about M. I talk about her all the time. It has never crossed my mind that the person I'm speaking to, doesn't approve of me. I think it is these seemingly meaningless conversations with the people in our lives that spark and carry change and understanding forward.

So, I now have an African-American Christian grandmother and she has a queer Asian granddaughter. Who knew?