I’ve been supportive of marriage equity for some time. Unlike Obama, this isn’t a position I’ve “evolved into.” But I’ve been supportive in that low-key, slactivist way: I’ve given a bit of money to the Human Rights Campaign, and written letters to editors and to legislators. It has always, to me, been an annoyingly clear case of not providing the same right to everyone. But I will also admit that this comes with a heavy dose of white straight male privilege. Among those I normally interact with, the idea that those who are not white and straight should enjoy the same human rights is beyond legitimate debate–it’s obvious. But it also means that I can agree with this and too easily forget what it has taken to get here. Stonewall was before my time, and not having been in the position of being targeted because of my sexuality means that while I can be deeply empathetic, I will never fully understand that struggle. It is too easy for me to say equality should be the norm, and falls toward the “I don’t see race,” sort of comment.

So, I think there was a lot more to celebrate at Gino and Glen’s wedding than the coming together of two individuals, or of two families. There was more than I could know. That’s probably true of all weddings, but here, I felt like I should have known better, and should have appreciated more what this meant. It wasn’t just making possible what couldn’t have legally happened two years ago. It wasn’t just the state recognizing that they had unjustly excluded some people from a certain certification. It was a step in the lives of two men who had faced a similar set of injustices throughout their lives.

By the time we got to the vows and the exchange of rings, Kai had had enough and Jamie had brought him to the back of the church where he could be a little less disruptive. Jasper, at this point, was sitting on my knee in rapt attention. And more than anything else, seeing the wedding through his eyes made me rethink my own perspective.

Jasper, like me, thinks of Uncle Gino and Uncle Glen as friends–he likes both of them a lot. It was not by design that Jasper’s first wedding was for two men, and I hadn’t really thought much about it, but I am deeply thankful that this, for him, is what a wedding is. Just as I am glad that for Jasper, the president has always been black. I am also aware that this is a very naive version of race and gender equity. I know that these issues are more complex and deserve deeper consideration. But I also enjoy my own naive appreciation, that I share with my son, that two of my favorite people get to be married. And that alone, even outside of the historical context and of the struggle, is something that is worthy of joy and appreciation.

Congratulations Gino and Glen, and may you grow together even more in the years to come.

The article goes on to quote Giambra who thinks the idea of drawing creative people is fine, but we have to have jobs to do that. The truth is that this is, frankly, wrong. Creative people go to a city not because of its economic outlook, but because of its cultural currency. Why else would unemployed artists move to New York City, where costs are higher than anywhere else in the US, or busk in the Boston subway? A small seed of creative entrepreneurs would provide a basis for such jobs. You cannot create jobs by fiat.

When I interviewed for the position here at Buffalo, someone mentioned that the city had an amazingly high “lifestyle-per-dollar,” a phrase that I found absurd on the face of it. I had a very difficult time keeping a straight face. Yet, others seem to find nothing strange about such a calculation. It’s true that you can buy a huge Victorian here for far less than a two-bedroom condo in San Fran or Seattle. But lifestyle and dollars need not have a very close relationship. You can’t measure a cities cultural capital in dollars.

I went to Hank Bromley’s house for dinner last night. It was really nice to see people who cared about the city and wanted to do something about it. But I think that what needs to happen is something more akin to a branding campaign. We need to be telling ourselves and the world what Buffalo is. And some form of vision of what it can be should come out of that.

Buffalo does not need “jobs”–or at least not only that. Florida’s observation that tolerance of diversity is necessary is also important. No, not tolerance, but celebration. Elmwood avenue could start to do that. But we need rock stars. We need people with vision and with the character to strive for that vision.

I really mean that. Neither Kurt Cobain nor Bill Gates “made” Seattle, but they introduced the city to a new generation. It needn’t be a rock star or a computer geek, but they wouldn’t be a bad first step.

I am not sure a casino would kill the city. I am sure that it is a stupid way to make use of our financial and organizational resources. A failed casino effort–and this seems to be the destiny of a project which entails significant negative externalities and allows a large part of the profits to leave the city–will only decrease the citizen’s trust in government.

Now is the time for a cultural movement of the streets and of the office buildings. What concrete :) steps can we take to make that happen?