Today is a day in which joy and sadness are very close.

I woke up to the news that Barack Obama was elected as the next President of the United States, and that in California, Proposition 8 was likely to pass.

Like most Europeans, I had hoped for Obama to win, even though I think that most Europeans are too hopeful and their expectations are too high. He’s going to be first and foremost the President of the United States, and the interests of the U.S. aren’t always the same as the interests of Europe. Still, I hope that his administration will be more diplomatic and not as rude as the Bush administration was. Calling us “old Europe” because we didn’t want to fight in a war that was based on lies – let alone that our constitution doesn’t allow us to send troops anywhere unless it’s a NATO or U.N. mandate – hasn’t help much.

But having Obama in the White House isn’t likely to be of much help when it comes to gay rights. Even though both Obama and Biden were against Proposition 8, and Biden even congratulated Ellen on getting married when he was a guest on her show (something that Michelle Obama somehow “forgot” when she was on TEDS), they don’t support gay marriage, either.

Time will tell, but today, seeing that anti-gay propositions passed in various states in the U.S., my predominant feelings are sadness and anger. Add to this that Brooke Smith, who played new-lesbian Dr. Erica Hahn on Grey’s Anatomy, was fired from the show and will only be on one more episode, and it looks like it’s not a very good week for lesbians in the U.S.

Today is a day in which joy and sadness are very close. I woke up to the news that Barack Obama was elected as the next President of the United States, and that in California, Proposition 8 was likely to pass. Like most Europeans, I had hoped for Obama to win, even though I think that ...