This is an off-topic post. It's something I almost never do, but something happened this week that was so important in my life, I wanted to write about it. Since the Stonewall Riots in 1969, this country has been in engaged in a struggle to overcome one of the last hurdles of bigotry. The treatment of gay and lesbian people in the United States, and for that matter the world, is something we as a society should be ashamed of. People have been jailed, denied housing, jobs, families and died, because of treatment towards them.
The current debate in this country centers on whether or not gays and lesbians can marry. 30 states have put discriminatory amendments into their constitutions. 8 states and the District of Columbia have laws permitting same sex marriage. I have heard all the reasons as to why gay people should not marry, and they are rooted in bigotry. I know people who are very wonderful people, and I don't think think they hate gay people. They still have a bigoted notion though, because as they explain their reasons as to why gays should not marry, it makes no rational sense.
The struggle for equality has been filled with people blocking the LGBT community because their reasoning makes no rational sense. If you were to read as much as I have from these people, you would be violently ill. The simple fact is all we want is to be treated equally, and that our unions/relationships be viewed as equal, because quite frankly they are.
Mark and I live like any other couple. We work, pay our taxes, contribute to the community with our time. Yet, we live in a state which is about to bring to voters an amendment which says marriage is only between a man and a woman, and any contractual issue, which mimics marriage is invalid. This means health insurance could not be offered to Mark as my spouse. This means power of attorney, wills, and hospital visitation would not be legal. Anything agreement Mark and I have that a heterosexual married couple has would be null and void.
Our struggle for equality crossed a big threshold this week as President Obama announced his support for same sex marriage. A sitting President of the United States, running for re-election, has told the world he supports us. I'm not going to discuss the political issues around that. I am going to say as a gay man, this brought tears to my eyes. To know that the leader of the free world stands with me makes me very proud to live in this country, even while the haters are still doing their best to destroy us.
To quote Dan Savage's video campaign, "It gets better." Yes it does. For me this is the hope Barack Obama ran on in 2008, and it is now closer than it has been. Thank you Mr. President.
As Mark and I move closer to getting married(where it is legal), we take great comfort in knowing we have a strong friend.
Next time....back to running.
Charlie
No comments:
Post a Comment