I am sure a lot of you watched the headliners at the DNC Convention, who gave us wonderful speeches, introductions, music and jokes along with food for thought.
Being a political geek, I avoided the major corporate network broadcast. It is not that I do not like being entertained, I am just fascinated by the process and was interested in all the proceedings. I wanted more than just the pundit’s views of who they pushed on me as important. I spent four days addicted to C-Span. One such introduction/speech, was given by Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney a Democrat who represents the 18th District of New York and is a gay man.
Mr. Maloney was tasked with preceding and introducing the first openly transgendered-woman speaker at a political convention assembled to officially elect the nominee of a major political party. Her name is Sarah McBride and she is the press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Paraphrasing Mitt Romney, I consider myself a “severe” liberal so I was swelling with self-congratulatory pride at being so accepting of Ms. McBride. Prior to her taking her place at the podium to speak, Representative Maloney spoke of his life as an openly gay man and his long relationship with his husband. He spoke of how they raised children and did all the things every family in America does every day. He then looked over the bobbing and weaving heads of the massive crowd, found his husband and said, “honey, I love you.” I jumped.
That simple statement, conveyed from one person to another with sincere meaning, caught me off guard. I have been asking myself why, ever since 5:32pm yesterday, when he uttered a phrase used between spouses, moms to kids and dads every minute or every day. I hung my head for a moment and realized in all my self-professed liberalism I had another bridge to cross. When I walk out the front door of my home I am not startled to see loving embraces between same sex couples. I tell myself how proud I am that I do not react from kisses and hugs that are as normal as the rising sun. Despite all my so-called progressiveness, “honey, I love you” was jarring. What I finally had to admit to myself was that I suffer the same malady I attribute to my white friends, basking in the light of those who look or act differently from me to warm my own self-aggrandizing heart. Thank you Sean, I had to check my liberal hat at the door. It is my fault I was startled by the normalcy of his life, as if I have some heterosexual exclusivity on love or kindness.
I remember when Art Shell, the first African American head football coach, was hired and fired in the modern era of National Football League. I remember his firing left me with a feeling of disappointment. I came to realize that when a Black coach being fired goes unnoticed, that means Black coaches being hired is deservedly just as unnoticed. That is a good thing. When the simplicity of expression is no longer something to point to with admiration, that is when we will all know, we’ve crossed that bridge.
Vote 2016