On Tuesday, Nov. 4, the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community will join with our straight allies and elect Sen. Barack Obama the 44th president of the United States. Sen. Obama was raised in a time of hope – a time when America believed in itself and in its place in the world. It was, as Sen. Obama has often said, an era of hope inspired by a young Senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy.

There are a lot of parallels to draw: Sen. Obama is running against a well-known elder statesman in the Republican Party. Sen. Obama will be the first Senator elected to the White House since JFK. Sen. Obama will have to face forces of evil down, just as JFK did with the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Sen. Obama will be faced with bringing the country out of a debt-ridden budget, as JFK did in the aftermath of the Korean War. Sen. Obama will face a world that is increasingly building walls, just as JFK dealt with the onset of the Cold War. And Sen. Obama, as President of the United States, will lay the groundwork for the greatest civil rights movement of the 21st Century, GLBT rights, just as JFK laid the groundwork for the greatest civil rights movement of the 20th Century, African-American rights. It was a time of hope, indeed.

Some readers may wonder if their vote matters this year in California. Polls show it is impossible for Republicans to carry California’s 55 electoral votes. But we know better. With so many issues riding on this election, both up and down the ballot, not only must we show up in numbers to defeat Proposition 8, but we must show up to send a message to the world that we can elect an African-American with the name Barack Hussein Obama, because we can see beyond the hate that Sen. McCain and running-mate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin are focusing on, that we see the horizon to an era of hope.

Recently, Sen. McCain said, “I’m angry, too, but we’re going to turn this anger into action.” But look what happened the last time an angry Republican war hawk, George W. Bush, turned anger into action. Military officials call it “The Long War,” as it is the longest hand-to-hand combat our nation has ever had. We’re paying for that Republican anger-to-action policy. We’re paying not just in the countless privacy and human rights violations by the George W. Bush administration, but we’re also paying at the pump, on our mortgages, and at the grocery store.

As a community seeking equality, we must consider the future of federal hate crimes legislation, trans-inclusive employment non-discrimination legislation, military policy and same-sex marriage. But we must also consider the stability of the middle class, national security, the end to the war in Iraq, and repairing the United States’ relationships with its allies. After all, we are part of that middle class, we have mortgages and we need help. We have brothers, sisters, daughters, sons, and partners deployed to Iraq. It is time to bring them home. Sen. Obama will end this war in Iraq and get back to the real issue at hand: finding Osama bin Laden.

In the Democratic Primary, the Gay & Lesbian Times endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton. We heard her message at the convention and she continues to be one of Sen. Obama’s most active supporters. She reminds us we must come together for issues of equality, economic stability, true national security and our future in this universe. We also understand the next president will nominate as many as three Supreme Court Justices. We must elect Sen. Obama to ensure that the highest court in our land does not fall into the conservative hands of Scalia and Thomas.

JFK knew a little something about these issues. He challenged us to go to the moon. And we met that challenge. He challenged us to listen to our African-American brothers and sisters and we met that challenge. He challenged us to listen to our mothers, sisters, and daughters on the issue of choice, and we met that challenge.

Sen. Obama’s trajectory runs parallel. He will challenge us to reverse the effects of global warming and we will meet that challenge. He will challenge us to listen to our GLBT brothers and sisters and Americans will meet that challenge. And he will challenge us to once again stand tall and proud.

With your vote for Sen. Obama on Tuesday, Nov. 4, once again, America will raise its children in a time of hope. That is why the Gay & Lesbian Times endorses Sen. Obama for United States President.