There are 1138 rights at this moment in America enjoyed by heterosexual couples that are denied to gay families. That's 1138 rights I don't have that my straight friends do. That's 1138 rights that my life partner (whom I can't even legally marry and call my wife) must miss out on while she watches her heterosexual friends enjoy them.
The fight has advanced in recent years, yet it is threatened by a right wing conservative faction who believes that I and my partner and hundreds of thousands of American gays/lesbians are less than they are. It is one thing to fight against someones religious teachings that we are an abomination to God. It is America, where one is allowed to believe as they wish, yet it is also America where we are all granted "liberty and justice for all" and our constitution states "all men are created equal". Contrary to popular belief, America was NOT founded to be a christian nation. It was founded to be a nation NOT governed by ANY religion. Yet, because of religious beliefs, we as gay people are still allowed in many states to be fired for being gay, to be jailed for sodomy, denied the right to marry, denied our partners health insurance/social security, denied the right to adopt, separated from our immigrant partners, separated from our children, and more.
It has been made very very clear by all republican front runners, including Romney, that they will do everything they can to repeal any advances gays have made toward equality. Just recently, Romney hired Robert Bork, who believes that there should indeed be criminal sodomy laws, to lead his constitutional and judicial advisory team. Romney supports the Defense of Marriage Act, a constitutional amendment which defines marriage as being between only one man and one woman. He donated money to the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the nemesis of the equality movement whose supporters and members say homosexuals are demon possessed and gay beatings and bullying are "natural" while homosexuality is not.
 |
| Sign from a gathering of the National Organization for Marriage whom Romney Supports |
So, I can't for the life of me understand why people who love their gay friends and family members vote for republican candidates who freely admit they will prevent and/or take away the rights of gay Americans.
I have heard the argument that "I am not voting for them because I agree with their stance on gay marriage, but because they are not Barack Obama....or because Obamacare will ruin America....or......or.....or......"
You're still voting against my marriage. You are still ensuring those 1138 denied rights remain denied or continue to grow.
I've also been told "but they think civil unions are great!" Well, wonderful. They're willing to drop some crumbs from the dinner table. Civil unions are not marriage. Straight marriage is recognized in every state in every country. Civil unions are only recognized state by state, only include limited rights, and most certainly, not protected worldwide. In addition, they still infer second class citizenship. What if interracial relationships were only allowed civil unions? It would be considered racist.
Already my relationship with my partner is considered as less than that of my brother to his wife, or my sister to her husband for instance. They had wonderful weddings. They were small, but well attended and much planning went into them. There were wedding showers and presents. Wedding dresses and a wedding reception. When Carrie and I discussed traveling all the way to Washington DC (the closest state to allow same sex marriage) not one person offered to go with us. It was a scary thing for me, an agoraphobic to go so far to get married, and it didn't help that no one seemed to give a crap that we were going to be married.
So I don't know. I don't know what to do about the fact that those I love are voting republican. It feels like they are voting against ME. It feels like they are voting against ME and Carrie.
And it hurts.
No comments:
Post a Comment