I read this, and then I wrote this to the DNC:

For some people, marriage is a dream and a goal. For others, a foolish and antiquated institution. For my partner and I, it is–quite simply–a legal impossibility. We live in South Carolina, one of many states that have voted to preclude us from marrying. As of yesterday, as you well know, Maine became the 31st such state.

In all of my adult life, I have voted Republican only once. I have supported Democratic candidates and causes with money and volunteer work. I’ve watched the word “liberal” become so tainted that many refuse to use it, preferring “progressive” instead, but I have always been proud to call myself a liberal Democrat.

But today I read that the DNC sent out an email blast to Mainers, urging them to get involved in yesterday’s election–in New Jersey.

If the DNC’s express intent had been to convey the message that the LGBT community is second-rate and second-class, I cannot imagine how you could have done a better job of it.

I cannot help but feel that the Democratic party is only too happy to have my support and my vote, to stand up for time-honored Democratic values such as civil rights, as long as I am only too happy to be quiet about my own rights.

It was all well and good for President Obama to address the HRC a few weeks ago. The mere fact of his presence in that setting was a major step forward. That he referred to DOMA as the “so-called Defense of Marriage Act” was most heartening. But Maine’s Question 1 was an opportunity for real progress, and I cannot see any sign of either the president or the DNC lifting a finger to help.

A year ago, I enthusiastically voted for “change we can believe in.” Today I feel that the slogan should have been slightly different: “change heterosexuals can believe in, and a lot of empty talk for the rest.” Maybe the original version was just so much … catchier.

Until I see the Democratic party show some genuine support in the area of equal rights for the LGBT, I’m afraid I’m just going to sit it out. No cash. No votes.