Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Open Doors

Wow! What a difference 24 hours can have! But before getting into what's changed, here's the outfit that I wore on Monday, June 27, 2011.

 sweet and innocent  . . .


 dress — Old Navy
camisole — Route 66 (Kmart)

I'm barefoot (but not pregnant! snort) in the top picture because, once again, I had trouble figuring out my footwear. I liked the idea of wearing boots, but they just didn’t look right on me (they looked a whole lot better on my much younger daughter!). I’m also not keen about how the dress looks on meI’m not sure if it’s the empire waist that I don’t like or if it's because the length accentuates my fat knees (that’s probably what it is). Or maybe it’s because my legs are so fish-belly white?

boots — Laredo (thrifted)

So what has changed? Well, on Monday, June 26, I got all dressed up for work (I did wear a sweater to make my dress more work appropriate), I raced to work sedately drove the 45 minutes to work, and then shortly after walking in the door, I was laid off. Yep. The ax fell. That's why my pictures are outdoors instead of in front of my usual blank wall. And I had to take them myselfa rude awakening! It really made me appreciate how hard it is for all of you who take your own pictures! I was really spoiled by my friend who would take my pictures for me.


My bright and cheery sundress was inspired by the legalization of same-sex marriage in the state of New York on June 24, 2011. I was happy to hear that the bill had cleared the last hurdle in the New York Senate and was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo shortly before midnight on Friday night. The law takes effect 30 days later on Sunday, July 24th. (I got tears in my eyes when I saw that the city clerk’s offices in all five boroughs will be open that Sunday so that couples can wed immediately after receiving their marriage licenses.)

Even the Empire State Building was rainbow colored on June 24th!

Image by zennie62

The passage of the bill did not impact me as directly as it did some of my friends—I am not gay, so I have always been free to marry whoever I wanted and to then be afforded all the rights, privileges, and respect that our society bestows on a married heterosexual couple. However, when we deny a large segment of our population* the right to marry the person they love, we have not only legally sanctioned discrimination but also encouraged the hatred and fear of our brothers and sisters, and that affects and hurts us all. Legalization of same-sex marriage in New York won't solve everything, but I can’t help but believe that it’s a huge step forward. I’m excited and hopeful to see what tomorrow brings.

*An April 2011 report by Dr. Gary J. Gates, the Williams Distinguished Scholar at the Charles R. Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, estimates that 9 million Americans—a number roughly equivalent to the population of New Jersey—identify as LGBT. The Williams Institute is a research center, located at the UCLA School of Law, whose mission is the advancement of sexual orientation law and public policy through independent, non-partisan research and scholarship.

I swear that I'll get much better about postinglast week, well suffice it to say that I was kind of up and down and all around! Even though my lay off was expected, it takes some getting used to. I'm definitely a bit worried, but I'm trying not to let that be the overwhelming thought, and instead look at this as an opportunity for me. I wonder what doors are going to open for me and whether they will swing wide to let me through or will I have to force them open, inch by inch?

I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that they'll be swinging wide!

7 comments:

  1. I'm happy fr all the New Yorkers, and I'm hoping that Minnesota gets there sometime soon.

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  2. Sorry to hear about the job. Even when it's expected, it still sucks. The dress is really cute on you! I like barefeet because it's just so perfect for summer. A door closed but a million more possibilities wide open!

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  3. First and foremost, yippee New York, now if more states would just jump on that wagon. Its about time that we let people marry the ones that they love regardless of gender.

    Second, I'm so very sorry to hear about your layoff. I don't know anyone in the current workforce that is not worried about having the very same thing happen to them. Here's hoping that these doors starting swinging WIDE open!

    I actually like that dress, its a very different look for you, and I say yes to the boots. Fashion is all about self-expression and I say go for it sista.

    Sending good vibes your way.

    hugs, Doreen

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  4. Re Fashion Challenge: If you decide to participate, just shoot me an email/comment and I'll link you up. ;D

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  5. Re Challenge: We link everyone up on the master post, and ask that participants use the badge so we can tell who is participating. We leave the option open to participate all week or just one day because some people have work or other constraints that may not lend to wearing the "theme".

    I host the master list of participants, but Keely throws together a round up post at the end of the challenge of all the people who wish to be included. So that's what the one picture is for. You can see the previous round up here. We didn't think to do one for Stripes Week as far as I remember.

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  6. {Hugs}--for the layoff.

    Love the picture of the Empire State Building. Doubt that my midwestern states Kansas or Missouri will approve of gay marriage any time soon--though I have many gay colleagues who deserve to have EVERY civil right.

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  7. Re Badge: We're currently just having people right click>save as and upload it how they want. I haven't worked out hosting yet that other people will be able to use too without killing bandwidth. Hoping to have that sorted out soon.

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Thanks for reading. Honest opinions and constructive criticism are always welcome.

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