Gay or Straight, You Can Make It In America

Bharathi pens down his thoughts after Obama’s victory

One of my friends was really sad and angry with Obama’s win. He and I are both at the same stage of our life with almost similar credentials and have applied for a skilled professional job here. He noticed I was happy and said,” Dude, you do realize that you and I have everything to lose because of this?” I did realize that. I did have everything to lose except one thing. I can’t tell him what that was.

Yeah, my future looks bleak, my chances of succeeding in America is going down and it’s true that I may even have to drop all my endeavors and go back to India. I am not an American, I had no vote and I had nothing to do with the Presidential election but I feel happy. I feel validated. Because this was a victory for human rights. A man has won, who respects human rights and who wants everyone to have the same rights no matter who you love. He has won in a land where people have started to respect the differences and have started to realize that this is how history is going to roll. I am happy to be here to see history in the making. All four ballot measures on gay rights emerged victorious. Millions of people in those states setting an example to the rest of America and to the entire world on acceptance. My future may not look good, but the president summed it up nicely about what I should feel, in his victory speech. “Gay or Straight, you can make it in America.”

It felt like he talked to me personally. I know I haven’t been optimistic or hopeful about my future in the past but now I want to make it in America and I am going to try for it. Thank you Mr. President, though you are not my President literally. But I wish you were.

You made this world a much better place to live for people like me.

Bharathi
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