This election.

Dear friends,

Today is election day, and I don't know about you, but tonight I plan on coming home from work, doing a little exercise, and then hunkering down on my couch in front of the TV with a big bowl of soup, a cup of tea and a body full of nerves. On this night in 2008, I felt incredibly optimistic about the outcome of the presidential race; this time around, with so much at stake, the prevailing feeling is anxiety. I really hope the right candidate wins.

This will likely be my last political post for the next four years—I try to reserve this space for lighthearted things, like cupcakes and silly stories about my life—but I read the below last week and it's stuck with me ever since. It's specifically about gay rights, but the sentiment applies to so much else that's so important in this election, including women's rights. I hope that if you're still undecided, it'll make you think a little bit harder about who you'll vote for today, and that if you're a Romney/Ryan supporter, you double-check your gut and consider the social issues at stake here as well as the economic ones. (Keep in mind that, as Hila brilliantly and eloquently said in a comment on this post, where I also commented with the following quote, the economy exists to serve people; without people, there wouldn't be an economy.)

"I wish my moderate Republican friends would simply be honest. They all say they're voting for Romney because of his economic policies (tenuous and ill-formed as they are), and that they disagree with him on gay rights. Fine. Then look me in the eye, speak with a level, clear voice and say, 'My taxes and take-home pay mean more than your fundamental civil rights, the sanctity of your marriage, your right to visit an ailing spouse in the hospital, your dignity as a citizen of this country, your healthcare, your right to inherit, the mental welfare and emotional well-being of your youth, and your very personhood.' 

"It's like voting for George Wallace during the Civil Rights movements and apologizing for his racism. You're still complicit. You're still perpetuating anti-gay legislation and cultural homophobia. You don't get to walk away clean, because you say you 'disagree' with your candidate on these issues." —Pulitzer- and Tony-award winning playwright Doug Wright (via Salon.com)

I'm done now, except for one last thing: Please, please, please, whatever you do, go vote today.

Love,
Megan