The Gideonse Bible   With the beard? Yeah, you!

While I was not surprised by yesterday’s news, and my mourning over Prop 8 had transformed into irritated acceptance some time in December, I was still bummed by the California Supreme Court’s decision to allow the majority to remove rights from minorities. Granted, that’s what the state’s constitution seems to allow, but methinks they could have called “Bullshit!” on that and sided with Carlos Moreno, who wrote, “Proposition 8 represents an unprecedented instance of a majority of voters altering the meaning of the equal protection clause by modifying the California Constitution to require deprivation of a fundamental right on the basis of a suspect classification. The majority’s holding is not just a defeat for same-sex couples, but for any minority group that seeks the protection of the equal protection clause of the California Constitution…This could not have been the intent of those who devised and enacted the initiative process.” Clearly, there’s a reason why Moreno was shortlisted for the Supreme Court of the United States by President Obama.

But I couldn’t bear to protest again. So, I kept my date with Rob, some bears a few my favorite San Diego friends (who might be mistaken for bears or cubs, but who are adamantly not bears or cubs), and Jens Lekman. Jens is the most delightful Swedish indie pop singer since, um, Robyn? I guess she’s not indie. Jens is sort of like Stephin Merritt meets Belle & Sebastian meets Burt Bachrach. This is a video of the song that he performed after saying, “What’s up with this Prop 8 stuff?” It’s exactly the right song, since it’s about the perils of homophobia. Also, the song is hilarious, especially the first chorus: “Oh God, Jesus Christ / I try to focus on your eyes / We’re having dinner with your family now / Keep a steady look at your left eyebrow / If it’s raised, it means yes, / If it’s not it means take a guess / Hey! You! Stop kicking my legs / I’m doing my best / Can you pass the figs?” This video is funny, but last night, he was much funnier. So, it was a nice distraction from what was going on outside.

This morning, however, I was forced to remember that, despite rumors to the contrary, California is not all gay unicorns and lesbian rainbows. Yes, we are the only state in the country that has elevated gays and lesbians to suspect class, and our domestic partnership law is identical to the civil union laws in other states. The only thing we don’t have here is the right to the word “marriage.” It’s really not the worst thing in the world. However, the relentless debate about our right to exist as free and equal citizens has riled up a lot of homophobia. When the Yes on 8 thugs blanketed the airwaves with advertisements claiming that there’s nothing worse than allowing children to learn that gay people exist, no one should be surprised that someone might take that to heart, and lash out a little. Now, I’m not claiming the Yes on 8 thugs are directly to blame for what happened to me this morning, but they certainly helped create an environment conducive to vicious homophobia. And they call themselves Christians! I wish pointing out their hypocrisy was more fun.

So, what am I talking about? Check out the video to the left. I found my own personal hate crime when I was about to drive to school to meet with a few of my students. Someone keyed “FAG” into the hood of my car. They also sliced up the left side of the car and the trunk. This happened, bizarrely, in a parking lot in the UCSD graduate apartments complex. I had last driven the car on Sunday night, and I didn’t notice anything odd about the car then. So, it happened some time over the last three days.

I reported it to the campus police, who were very nice. The officer took pictures and marveled at such a thing happening in the “such a liberal area.” Yeah, I was a little surprised, too. But really, it was only a matter of time. Every little bit of homophobia spewed by religious leaders, politicians, celebrities, and everyday citizen eventually settles in, and someone reacts. This is one such example.

And this is why fighting back against homophobia everywhere is always necessary. (That’s a somewhat veiled reference to the debate over on Facebook about whether or not complaining about Nigel Lythgoe’s homophobic comments last week were worth complaining about. It’s always worth it. Always.)

As I was finishing up this post, I received an email from the director of housing at UCSD. I had emailed him about the event, to let him know it happened, as well as to see if he could help get out a campus advisory. His response was quite wonderful — angry, emotional, and proactive. I have also been pleased by how my Facebook pals have reacted with anger and empathy; I think we’re up to over 100 comments on various posts about it. I think Rob is more angry and disturbed than I am. Of course, I am angry. But I’m not shocked; I’m surprised that it was here, at UCSD, but not shocked that it happened, in general, in this climate, in San Diego. I think I can do something with it, too. It is a teaching moment. It is a political moment. It’s worth seizing.